A Life Full Of Saturdays
by Audrey Bogart
Summary: You win some you lose some. Words to live by. Faye loses everything important and gains something else. Fate is so cruel. FxS
1. The Hero Dies In This One

Okay...ok.....I try to go through as many of the Cowboy Bebop fanfics that I can but 2541?!!! I tried. I really did. But after three days with rotten brats (a.k.a. - my nephews. I love the kids but man do they ever wear me out!!) and coloring eggs, and trying to find my pink bunny ears for Easter......I tend to quit reading the summaries after I reach 1,000. I'll keep this original as possible. I don't know who else has written this.....so all this is on a haunch that my idea...or plot.....is pretty original.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowoby Bebop or any of the songs I may use for titles. (hehe....that cleared up about a bajillion chapter titles....)  
  
A Life Of Saturdays - The Hero Dies In This One  
  
Faye Valentine, though beautiful and thoughtful, sat in a bar stool on a busy Friday night wondering why she chose the profession of a waitress to pay bills rather than a doctor, or even a teacher for that matter. So why wasn't she lecturing university students instead of serving alcoholic beverages to beer bellied men going through mid-life crisis? She took a drag on her cigarette, reflecting on her life and knowing exactly why she wasn't in Yale studying to be a shrink. Her mother had told her a million times 'Darlin', you got the looks and the street smarts, just not the book smarts. Don't feel bad, it runs in the family.' Faye's father had been the only one who had put his faith in her through her life, and now he was an overworked vegetable, spending his Friday nights in front of the televison while the wife cooked a hot meal. It wasn't that her father was poor or depressed. He was just bored. Bored of where his life was heading, and now, Faye could see his point.  
"Careful, that frown may stay like that if you never change it." Faye scowled at the green haired man beside her. Her only comrade yet her only foe. Childhood companions; and he never ceased to find Faye at a bad time. Faye squashed the cheap cigarette into an even cheaper ashtray.  
"Really? It's good to know that you learned from experience, Spencer." The man shrugged and called for two beers.  
"Shouldn't you be working? Or something along those lines?" Faye smiled sarcastically. Why did she waste time with Spencer? Because she knew him for so long? She mentelly lied to herself and repeated the phrase ' just friends' in her head.  
"I ended my shift an hour ago."  
"So why the long face?" Faye buried her face in the cuffs of her jacket.  
"I'm so predictable, Spencer. My life is a rerun of a bad drama."  
"At least you get the hot guy in the end." Faye glanced up at Spencer for a quick moment and then moaned in annoyance. He wasn't helping her situation none. Spencer caught the signs of an aggrivated female and backed off. "What do you want me to say Faye? You've got a modest job, and me. What more could a girl ask for?" Another groan." Sorry by I have one philosophy in life - if you're bored than you're boring. And you're not a boring girl Faye." Faye brushed a few strands of violet hair from her face and stood up.  
"Could you possibly give me a lift home?"  
"What about your car? I know you're a bad driver and all but I think you're sober enough to drive on your own."  
"I'll have my dad pick it up for me tomorrow. It's Friday anyway. Not like i'm doing anything important." Spencer nodded and gulped down his beer.  
"Yeah yeah. I hear ya. Just let me finish this movie that Mick has on." Faye leaned over the bar, immediately recognizing the edited for cable movie.  
"Oh yeah, this one. The hero dies in the end." Groans and booing could be heard throughtout the bar, giving Faye a bit of satisfaction for a night. Spencer threw his coat of his shoulder and headed out the door with Faye.  
  
A small click was heard from inside by a small dog, whom raced to the door to greet his master. Spencer kicked at the tiny pooch, mumbling something about "stupid dogs" and retreated to Faye's over stuffed couch. He clicked on the television, cursing the broken remote for making him walk over to the large box. It was then that he noticed a lone videotape; unlabeled. Faye was straggling in just as he pushed the tape into the VCR. An image of a downsized Faye appeared on the screen.  
"Adorable. Really."  
"Turn that thing off."  
"No. I kinda enjoy seeing a younger you."  
"Pervert." Spencer chuckled and watched Faye plop down beside him. Silently, the two watched Faye' childhood unfold before them. Suddenly, Faye popped off the cusion and pointed at the screen. "That!" Spencer could feel his ciagrette cling to his lower lip.  
"What?"  
"That! That is what I want to go back to! Happiness, no worries, not a care in the world."  
"Like your Saturdays off?" Spencer laughed at his own joke. But Faye wasn't laughing. She was staring at the child in front of her, remembering what it was like to be carefree. That the only thing she worried about was who she could take to the school dance and if she'd ever get kissed.  
"Exactly. A life full of Saturdays." Spencer sighed and put out his cigarette. Slowly, he hung a lanky arm around his childhood friend, unable to comfort her in her time of need. Before either knew it, a kiss was reached between them. The soft kind of kiss. The kind love scenes come from. Faye could see herself leading Spencer to her bedroom in a few moments and taking the friendship thing on a whole new level. She pushed the man away, unable to do that to him.  
"Something wrong?" Faye pounded a palm in to her forehead.  
"Everything. You're engaged Spencer. You're not mine anymore and doing this would be...unfair." She wanted to continue her little speech, telling him that she'd always love him and that he would be happier with his fiancee. But her decalmation was ended very abruptly by Spencer's angry protest.  
"No. Just stop. You're absolutely right."  
"Spencer..."  
"I'll talk to you later. Goodnight Faye." Faye punted the couch in anger. She wanted to turn to stone at that moment and just lose her faith in everyone she knew just like she would lose all hope of ever mending her cherished friendship that just walked out the door. She flung her petite body down on the cushions and felt a week's worth of work take its toll on her body.  
"A life full of Saturdays...Is there such a thing?" She wondered, as she drifted off to sleep, what the future would bring. Adventure? Doubt it. Romance? An even thinner possibility. Death. Now there was a thought. She didn't feel very alive at that moment. More of an emptiness really. Could one walk the earth but still feel dead?  
  
A shrill ring of Faye's cell phone woke her up from her slumber. It was well into noon,considering most of the day had been wasted by senseless dreams. She scanned the carpeted floor, nudging her pooch in the process, searching for the tiny phone. Finally, she found it. A deep voice echoed over the earpiece, sending comfort throughtout Faye's body.  
"Hey pumpkin!!"  
"Hi daddy..."  
"Did I wake you?"  
"No....I'm just worn out."  
"I heard from your mother that you and Spencer had an argument." Man, news traveled fast in ehr family.  
"A small bickering. Nothing more than that." Another lie. It was more than a small fight. The moment Spencer walked out that door, Faye regretted everything she had ever done to the man, just to bring him back.  
"Well I drove by your apartment and saw that your car wasn't parked in the usual spot." Faye rubbed her head. Damn, she had almost forgotten about that.  
"About that, could you possibly pick up for me?"  
"Of course, sweety. I got Roger from the office with me. We planned to get an early start fishing but your mother forgot to set the alarm like I had asked so we ended up - "  
"Dad, could you just bring over the car?"  
"Of course Faye. We'll drop it over in a few."  
"Ok."  
"Love ya hun."  
"Love ya too Dad."  
  
Faye drove around the streets of the city while recklessly searching for her rining cell phone- again. Her father had brought the beat up convertible over at about one and Faye had taken it upon herself to drive around for the day. So what if she only had half a tank of gas and riding around in a gas eating machine? So what if she only had three bucks to her name? She needed to get out, and getting out she did. She hit the talk button, her mother's high pitched voice ringing through Faye's ears.  
"Faye!! Where are you?"  
"I'm driving around, Ma."  
"Why are you yelling like that?!"  
"I'm on the cell Ma!" Faye rolled her jade eyes underneath her small sunglasses. Why did her mother always ask stupid questions like that?  
"I didn't mean to call at such an hour but your father was complaining about the alarm this morning. I swear, Faye, it totally slipped my mind! Here I was, trying to seduce your father, and bring back the spice to our marriage- "  
"I don't won't to hear this...", Faye muttered.  
"What was that?"  
"I don't want to hear this ma. All I ever hear about these days are you and Dad's problems. I have problems of my own right now, ya know? I just lost my friggin best friend and you're fighting over an alarm clock!!" Faye punched the steering wheel. To her left, she could see Spencer chatting it up with his future in-laws during a late lunch. This just keeps getting better and better, she thought.  
"Well excuse me for trying to talk to my only daughter!"  
"Oh cram it Ma! You talk and talk.....you never know when to shut up. And what's worse - you talk about my failures! You know what? If I die before you, send around my childhood tapes, so that people knew I was at my brightest moment when YOU WEREN"T AROUND!!!"  
  
Perhaps Faye overlooked the red light and the eighteen wheeler driving towards her. Or perhaps God chose that moment to end one of the most heated conversations in Faye's life, to shove an eighteen wheeler into the side of her car. Whatever the reason was, it hit. It hit with a sudden, and hard imapct. And Faye didn't feel a thing. She could feel the glass shattering, and the metal bending, but she couldn't feel any emotions. No regrets. She had lost her friend; her sanity. And now she was losing her life. She couldn't even feel a metel rob pierce her left lung. But she could feel the men lift her up into and the EMS van and she could hear the pleading cries of Spencer and her mother on the cracked cell phone. Of all things to survive such a crash....her cell phone. And her mom's voice. The light's blinded her vision as one thought entered her mind : You weren't around. It was weird that she was still angry even though her life was now in a stranger's hands, but maybe it was the only thing that kept her alive. She wished that everyone who made her life miserable would just go away. Strange how fate chooses those moments to make these types of wishes come true. You could wish upon every star for that one soulmate and never find them. You could drop over penny in the world in a well and ask for millions of them in return and remain a poor man. But you wish for your memories to disappear in the heat of the moment, and fate cruelly decides right then and there that if that's what you want, than that's what you get. So much for the billionaire life partner....  
  
Please be kind......when you review I mean. I wouldn't ask you to be nice to everyone you meet....though it wouldn't hurt... 


	2. My Number

I'm sitting here, covered in cupcake icing (it makes my hair look like dreads) and pink bunny ears stuck on my head, yet, i'm so happy!!! Thank you so much for the reviews on A Life Full of Saturdays. *Tear* They were really.....sweet. I made one person cry and granted a miracle all in one day!!! And trust me, you have no idea how these kinds of reviews just make my day. I'll try to deliver as many chapters as possible and keep them up to Linny standards..........Happy Easter!!! Peace, Love, And George Clooney!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or Dexter Freebish's 'A Life Full of Saturdays' or practically anything else except my own ideas........  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: My Number  
  
Paula Valentine packed the remaining items of her only daughter's bedroom before loading the small Welsh Corgi into his pet taxi,pausing at the door when her husband asked her to stop. It had been one week since the accident, and the doctors had confirmed that at that moment in time, modern medical technology could not save their daughter. However, a technique of freezing the body until new advances in medicine could be found was a given option. It was either freeze Faye's body or watch her die. Harold Valentine opted for the freezing, knowing he was giving his daughter a second chance at life. There was the chance that the advance in medicine they needed could be years from then, and she would live a life without him. But he was willing to take that chance. Just to know that his daughter would live again. No doctor would tell him that there was no hope....no other road she could take. He kissed his daughter's forehead one last time before she was sent to the chamber. The doctor entered a few minutes later.  
"Now, there are some drawbacks. This is an experimental technique. Faye could lose a few of her memories when she wakes up." Harold didn't say anything. He just turned and left the hospital, hoping that the only other call he would recieve from them would be the answer to a punctured lung.  
Now, Harold sat in front of Faye's televsion, noticing the tape she had made when she was thirteen. He held the tape in his large hands, not wanting to smear the touch Faye had left on it before the wreck.  
"Harry...if ou want to keep the tape then bring it with you. I can't stay here much longer." Paula wiped at her red eyes. Spencer was leaning on a wall across the room, staring at the same videotape. Silence fell on the room like a heavy weight. Nobody wanted to do anything with the tape, in fear that if Faye woke up, she couldn't return to that period of innocence. Finally, Paula spoke up. She knew what had to be said.  
"I don't know if she meant it or not.....I mean, we were fighting when she told me this. But she wanted the tape sent around. Like a time capsule. To remind people what it's like to be happy, I guess." She had failed to mention that the real reason Faye wanted the tape sent around was to show people that she was happy without her mother. But at a time like that, Paula refused to admit to herself that her daughter despised her. Harold held the tape up to the light. It seemed like a good idea. Even if it did come from his wife's mouth.  
"I'll do it." Spencer managed to speak up. He had remained quiet since the wreck. Inside though, he was screaming for forgiveness. Why did he end that night on such bad terms?  
"You do that. Thank you." Harold handed the lanky man the tape following the VCR. "Just in case they don't make these suckers when she wakes up." He meant it as a joke, but he had no idea how much truth lay in his words.  
  
In Faye's mind, a child clawed at her warped brain, desperate to get through to the violet haired woman. "I'm always here for you." How Faye craved to hear those words. She needed someone to hold her, and tell her everything would be all right. Sure, she had a tough exterior as a tomyboy to the outside world. But inside, she yearned for that someone to whisper in her ear and speak sweet nothings ;as if the world was meant for only them. "Please don't forget me..." The voice was so small, so childish. "I won't. At least, i'll try not to." "That's all I ask. That's all I can ask." The voice deminished, and Faye was left alone, in a harsh cold that couldn't escape. And in way, she didn't want to escape. She was too scared to meet back with the world and face those she had ruined.  
  
Spencer wrapped the videotape up tightly in borwn packaging. He smiled as he checked the 'Cash On Delivery' box. He could still have some fun, even if he wasn't around to see the look on her face when she received the package and had to pay. It was something Faye hated to do. Sure, she gave to charities in town. But usually, it was only a dollar. And she would still cringe when she threw it, yes threw it, in the plastic tub. So, he could just imagine the grinch-like expressions she would make when she would have to dig in her pocket for the desired amount of money and regrettably give it to the man. Spencer sighed. It had been forty-eight hours and yet he already missed her. He shoved the smaller of the two packages to the right and started on the VCR.  
  
For fifty four years, the world still went round. People still went about their daily routines, unaware of the fact that Faye was about to wake up. Of course, nobody would tell her that her father had died of a heart attack four years after the accident. Or that Paula Valentine had kept the cracked cell phone, in hopes that one day it would ring, and she would hear Faye's smooth voice. Then Paula could apologize for everything she had done. Nobody would tell her that Spencer Spiegel had married and had a son, who also ended up having a son to carry on the Spiegel name. Of course, nobody told SPENCER that his grandson, Spike, wouldn't really bring pride to the Spiegel name. Nobody would tell Faye that her mother died of old age as a lonely woman carrying a dead cell phone in her wrinkly fingers. Nobody would tell Faye that it was her name spoken as Spencer's last words. Nobody would tell her that sometimes second chances are hard to come by. And that Lady Luck was on her side to have Faye cross paths with Spike. Course, once again, nobody would tell her that it would easy either. But on that faithful day, doctors thought that waking the orchid haired woman was a good idea, considering that a cure for her punctured lung had been concocted and perfected a few years earlier.  
Faye could see the light and remembered that she was told from someone before that if you see the bright light, to walk away. It was funny, but during her sleep, she could a man's voice yell out numbers. Was it God? Did God have a waiting list for people? And Faye just picked a really long number? "Don't forget me..." It was the voice again. "I don't want to but...." She tried. She tried her damnest when the light hit her, to cling onto the pre-teen in her mind. She didn't want to lose it. It was the one thing she had left to hang on to. For a long time, Faye held on to thoughts, but with time, the thoughts disappeared. But that small voice would pop up again and tell Faye that she was there for her. And darkness would surround Faye again. The little girl would tell Faye jokes and stories of slumber parties and first kisses. But Faye couldn't imagine such things. She just couldn't SEE them. So the girl would end up telling her fairy tales to liven up the darkness. Faye's favorite was the one of the sleeping beauty. Faye wished her handsome prince would wake her up right about then. And he did, only, he wasn't handsome. He was an older man. And he wasn't a prince. But considering his profession, he might be as rich as one.  
  
It was then that Faye decided God definetly had a waiting list for people like her. Not quite dead but not feeling alive. The numbers, she would find out, were numerical identifications. But in Faye's simple mind, Brother John or Billy Bob or whomever would spend endless hours callling out numbers. 'No. Not your turn yet, Faye. I'm afraid your number hadn't been called.' She felt like she would spend an eternity just waiting for that number...her number to be called forth into the pearly gates. She would also find out that the gates weren't pearly at all, but more of a cheap off white. Heaven must have a budget plan. Smart people, she thought. But the light was on her now. And she went to it, leaving behind the number, the economy-sized portal, the stories, and the little girl. And from then on, she would never be able to find the girl, unable to get the reassurance she needed to move on. Anyone can tell you that you're beautiful and one of a kind. But will you still believe you're ugly? Anyone can tell you that you're smart and worth something. But will you still feel worthless? Sometimes. So you go and cry in the shadows, wanting to disappear. It's strange how humans work. You can receive countless compliments but only believe the negative comments. It's easy to understand, I guess. The bad stuff is just easier to believe. But you always have that little voice in the back of your head to tell you that it's not true. That you're better than that to accept the crappy people of the world. And everything becomes okay again. So who is your comfort voice? Your mother? A gradparent? A friend? Now wipe them away. Let them disappear for just a moment and let self conciousness bleed into your body. Nobody there for comfort. No way to reach them. You've just stepped into Faye's shoes. In that exact moment of reaching the light, she lost that voice - herself. The greatest gift that could ever be bestowed upon humankind was that small intonation that carried you away from life's problems, and Faye lost it.  
  
Short, I know. I hope whomever reads this can find their comfort voice. Sorry, I saw "Speak Like A Child" last night and wondered if Faye ever used that as her comfort voice.....I would've......The next chapter will be longer.....promise. 


	3. She Talks To Angels

I have to clear something up real quick. This isn't an AU fic. I guess I should've put that in the summary cause it's hard to tell in the beginning. Anyway, loving the reviews!!! I'm so glad to hear that you all love my writing. Honestly, i've put more thought into this story and I guess it shows. Enjoy!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebeop or any songs mentioned in this story......  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : She Talks To Angels  
  
Faye woke up cold, wet, and groggy. Not only did she not know where she was, but she was naked around a puddle of water. And that fact didn't settle well with her. A woman who seemed to know what she was doing, hovered over Faye, a kind smile playing along her features. The room was cold, she noticed. Not cold in the sense that goosebumps were covering her body, but cold in the way that made you shiver when there was no wind; unwelcomed. Faye focused her eyesight on the woman, who confirmed that 'it was a complete success'. A man walked over to the two women and explained that Faye now owed the hospital 300 million woolongs. Woolongs? What was this place? Who were these people? Who was she?!  
  
"What are you talking about? Who are you? Where am I?" The man leaned close to her as the nurse wrapped Faye up in a hospital gown.  
"Do remember anything before your freezing?" Faye couldn't help but laugh deep inside herself. She didn't even remember her name, let alone what happened before the so called freezing.  
"What?" The doctor decided right then and there that Faye needed rest before a bill and sent her to a room.  
Our mothers tell us not to talk to strangers in fear that we will be snatched up and relive the terrors of ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre" because we gave into temptation and took the stupid peice of candy. And so we go about our lives, never excepting sweets from people we don't know because of that fact. And then there are the people fathers of young daughters warn us about. The men that hide in dark corners, armed with cheap flowers and recycled phrases to lead us into the wonders of sex. They are rotten men, taking over the male population with incredible speed. They're never to be trusted, even if they promise you the world. And, of course, we girls sit there with wide eyes wondering if we will ever meet Prince Charming if the male species if be overrun by these jerks. It is then that your father adds the small comment "Every guy is like." Damn.......  
So when Whitney stumbled onto Faye Valentine's records by a very generous uncle who just happened to be Faye's doctor, Whitney was more than happy to fill her in. He found out her name. That was the first thing that had to be aquired. Whitney was truthful on that aspect. Faye Valentine was written on her driver's license, an antique in today's society, but useful in whatever era she had come from. He found the woman to be quite lovely and endearing.....and naive.  
Faye sat up in bed as Whitney explained what had happened to her. She learned her name and facts about the world she was now living in. But nothing about her past. Nothing that could inform her about what kind family she came from, if she had siblings, or she even owned a fish. She entrusted her newly aquired money troubles with Whitney, but didn't tell him of her plans to run away that night, which she did at the stroke of midnight. But Whitney managed to find and treated her to dinner, thus gaining her trust. It was also after that dinner, that Whitney's life was taken at the cost of Faye's freedom. She cried into a cheaply made tissue, masscara running down her fair face. But the tears immediately stopped as an insurance man told Faye of Whitney's objective. He gave her everything he owned.....along with his very large debt. It was a hard lesson, but a lesson at that. Nobody could be trusted, especially men.  
She didn't sleep that night, in the hospital room that the doctor so 'graciously' offered her. She could actually see the dollar signs form in his greedy eyes. No, she had to get out of here. A life like this was no life at all. She stared out the window, noticing a young woman on the corner in a scantily clad yellow outfit. Faye scanned her evening gown and the woman's attire. Slowly, she crept out of the hospital and caught up to the woman.  
"Nice outfit." She had to compliment the stranger if she wanted to get out of the evening gown that the hospital had known her last in.  
"Get lost. I ain't into that kind of thing." Faye had to bite her tounge from lashing out at the hooker. Instead, female instincts took over and Faye did the first thing that came to mind : she knocked her out. As she dressed behind a dumpster, careful of any passerbys, she scanned the area for any means of transportation. Above her, a jet like machine zoomed by and landed at a garage. It was an ugly white but could prove to be useful. She blew a piece of violet hair out of her face, and ransacked the hooker's purse. She came upon two hairclips and a hairband. Faye chose the hairband and skipped off to the garage, slipping the band through her hair and giving her an undeniable look. A look that could only fit Faye. As she came upon the garage, she stopped to come up with a good conversation to avert the lad's attention.  
"Nice machine you have here..." The young man jumped up three feet as a woman's seductive voice broke his concentration. He was lanky and barely considered a man by his peers.  
"Yeah.....It's the Redtail. One of fastest machines out there today." Faye leaned up against the ivory mechanical bird and put on her best smirk.  
  
"Redtail, hm? How does a strong man like you operate such a thing?" The guy reddened but proceeded to show Faye the numerous buttons, what they meant, and how to steer. Faye leaned down into the pod and watched with glee. "I see..."  
"And the best part is this...." He rolled up his sleeve and revealed a bracelet. "All you have to do is send out a signal from this bracelet and the Redtail turns on autopilot to meet you at the location you sent your signal from."  
"Amazing..." A ring from the shop's front door brought the man's attention away from Faye.  
"Excuse me....i'll be right back." Faye ran a slender finger over the cool metal, instantly taking a liking to the small ship. It wasn't much, but Faye was sure that it could get her away from the hospital. The fuzzy voices of a rundown television caught Faye's attention as she wandered over to the broken box. A blonde woman and man dressed in cowboy looking uniforms graced the television. Faye couldn't tell what they were saying, but could clearly read the word 'bounty' across the screen. So people here caught crooks by bounty hunting? Faye gasped as the young man who literally just gave Faye the Redtail appeared on the screen. Underneath his picture, Faye read a large amount of money for the crime of stripping spacecrafts.  
"Hey." Faye turned sharply to meet the eyes of a very dark man dressed a trenchcoat. "Have you seen that kid?" Faye followed the man's gaze to the kid's picture. Her mind began to put the pieces together. Hospital+Whitney = Debt....BIG debt. Picture + weird man in black = bounty hunter. Bounty hunter + bounty= BIG money. Faye leaned against the table that the television sat upon and crossed her arms.  
"Nope. Never seen him before until now." The man peered at Faye for a moment before continuing on his walk. Faye sighed from relief and began a search to find some kind of weapon to apprehend the stupid kid. She went through numerous drawers before coming upon a loaded gun that someone had tried to conceal. Footsteps echoes through the shop and Faye turned on her heel to point the loaded weapon at the kid. She didn't know what she was doing and she knew that. But she had no one in the world to help her. She was on her own. The kid walked towards Faye, a grin pasted on his face. Why was he smiling?  
"Stay back!! I mean, hold it right there!! There's a hefty bounty on your head and I plan on getting it. Understood?"  
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Faye's eyes widened as the boy continued to stride over to Faye. She squeezed the trigger, only to learn that the safety was on. Soon after her realization, Faye felt a blow to her cheek and then heard two gunshots ring throughout the hollow shop. The man in black stood over the two people and kneeled over the kid, binding him with handcuffs. The man then moved over to Faye and checked her swollen cheek. Faye refused to move. She had just suffered a terrible embarrassment and it didn't settle well with her. She groaned out loud as the man touched her cheek.  
"Oh come on now. It isn't that bad, rookie. Stand up." He reached underneath Faye's arms and pulled her up to a standing position. Faye finally got a good look at the man. He was up in age, sporting a salt and pepper beard with a matching ponytail. The ponytail was covered with a large black cowboy hat. A feather earring graced his left ear to set the entire brooding bounty hunter mood. "How many fingers am I holding up, rookie?" He held a fist in front of Faye, her eyes focusing on the large ball of skin and bones.  
"Shove it." Faye hadn't intended on being so brash, but her cheek was stinging and a strange man was trying to play games with her. The man smiled and leaned Faye against the Redtail. He took of the large hat and rubbed at his grey hair. It was then that Faye noticed he hadn't handcuffed her like the kid. He obivously knew something that she didn't. He heaved the teenager over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and glanced back at Faye.  
"Are you getting in or not?" Faye gawked at the man as he pulled the bracelet off the kid's wrist. After a few moments, the orange pod opened up, alsmot scaring Faye to death. She quirked an eyebrow at the man, unable to figure him out.  
"How do I know I can trust you?"  
"I should be asking you the same thing." Faye laid a hand on her hip. This conversation was getting her no where. The man lowered his head so that the wide brimmed hat shadowed his piercing blue eyes. "Look lady....I don't know what kind of trouble you've been in, but most folks around here know when the safety on their gun is on. Which leads me to believe that you've probably never handled a gun which is gonna get you hurt in the long run. And I particularly don't like to see ladies gettin hurt. You don't have to stay with me. You're too young for my tastes anyway. But stay for awhile and learn the ropes before you get yourself another bruised cheek." He tossed the unconcious kid in the back and held out a hand for Faye. She finally accepted it after one hell of a mental debate. She figured that at least now, she knew how to handle a gun, incase the man had bolder intentions. She lost trust in all men with Whitney. Perhaps this man could restore it.  
"By the way, i'm Jim." Faye bit her bottom lip.  
"I'm Angel." It was the first thing that she could come up with. The man smiled at her and started up the Redtail.  
"Damn kid stole my ship last week and i've been trying like hell to get it back. This is my baby and I didn't plan on losing her like that. Oh, and he told you that this button here is for the fuel line. He was wrong. It's the communication system. And this one here is your oxygen lock."  
"Oxygen lock? In case you get too high up?" The man laughed at Faye's innocence. She truly had no idea of how things worked.  
"Well space IS pretty high up, I guess."  
"Space?"  
"Well of course darlin'. What'd you think these things were made for?" Faye sighed and looked down.  
"My name isn't Angel. It's Faye."  
"That's alright. My name isn't Jim."  
"It isn't?"  
"They call me Duke."  
"Where are we going Duke?"  
"Well first we're going to collect this bounty. Then i'm going to start teaching you the ropes of bounty hunting."  
"Really?"  
"Of course." Out of the corner of his eye, Duke caught the girl shivering from the deep space cold, and threw her a red jacket from underneath the seat. "It's not much but it will do until you get used to the space tempature." Faye nodded and peered out the pit. Millions of stars surrounded them, sending the girl into a state of awe.  
The bounty had been collected and the two were now seated in a bar. After an hour or so, a group of elderly men caught sight of Duke and yelled at him to join their poker game. He laughed along with them, showing that he obviously liked the men but hardly considered them comrades. He took a sip of his frosty beer and grinned a toothy grin at Faye.  
"What and learn, rookie."  
"What are you talking about?" Duke didn't answer but pulled a chair out of the table across from them for her to sit. And she did in a not so lady like manner, which scored her looks from the other men. For hours, Faye watched the poker game. She watch Duke lose two games and she yawned at the man's gambling ability. Duke caught a glimpse of this and chose that moment to unleash his plan.  
"Alright boys, one more game. I'll even shuffle." Faye laid her head down on the chair's back, wondering what the old man was up to. She watched Duke shuffle the hand of standard cards, unaware of what he exactly intended to do. As if the planet began to revolve in slow motion, Faye stared at the hands, catching the first deck slide into his sleeve and another carefully placed deck leave the opposite. He had his own hand of cards!! Faye gasped and sat upright. Poker just suddenly became interesting. After the game had finished and Duke took back his loss for the night plus a little extra, Faye finally questioned him as they hopped back into the Redtail.  
"You cheated."  
"Life is a game, Faye. And those men have cheated more than me. I gaurantee it. " Faye refused to believe him, yet she did. "That was your first lesson. Always keep your own marked hand. Sometimes they come in handy."  
"I don't remember anything." Duke was startled by her voice and gave her a questioning look. "So if you're up to something, like stealing my fortune, then forget it. I woke up a few days ago, not even knowing my name."  
"Heh, kinda like Charlotte."  
"Who?" Duke struggled to pull out a wallet from his back pocket and handed Faye a photo of a woman with long auburn hair and a bright smile. She was wearing a sundress in a pile of fallen leaves.  
"We were married young. And our folks refused to talk to us after that. But we were happy and that was all that mattered. I used to say that she talked to angels."  
"Why?"  
"Charlotte had a knack to pick out the scrubs of the universe and see the good in them. It was as if an angel was constantly by her, telling her who needed saving. We got caught up in some bad things. Some real bad things and she ended up getting shot."  
"Do you miss her?"  
"Constantly. It was my fault she got shot. I walked out one day, never to look back. And she suffered for it." Faye handed the picture back to Duke and sat back in the pit. The rest of the ride was complete and utter silence.  
Faye still contemplated about the talking to angels thing. Was that even possible? Could she ever do that? Two galaxies away on Mars, a lanky, green haired scrub let a bouquet of roses drop from his hands and into the rain as he realized that his own angel just left his life. He wasn't a Prince Charming, not even close. But he had put put his heart into this, only to have it crushed by the one thing he trusted most. Fate has a funny way of working out, doesn't it? They always give you second chances but everything comes with a price. In certain countries, you can't pull off a mask that conceals beauty without getting your hand chopped off. But was it worth it? You can get married and have kids, but cheat on your husband/wife. Is marital bliss actually wonderful? Ignorance could be called bliss, too. For some, the saying "bad things happen to good people" isn't quite true. For the lives of these two wandering souls was anything but less than innocent. Both had, and would do, things that they may not have ever done. But we all do that. Nobody's innocent anymore. And growing up, you're told that that kind of behavior will never get you into heaven. But heaven has been updated folks, because these two people are not the most chivalrous. But you are given a second chances for redemption. A 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card. How you use it is up to you. Save a life.....give a compliment. You'd be surprised just who can touch your life in the most wonderous way possible. You'd be surprised that a galaxy way, your angel is talking to you.... 


	4. There Goes My Hero

Okay.....here's the game plan.....i'm going to be adding some Spike to the mixture. Make it interesting, ya know? Enjoy!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or anything by the Foo Fighters.......Now Dave Grohl.....that's another story. He will be mine. Oh yes, he will be mine.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: There Goes My Hero  
  
Faye felt the flannel blanket wrap tightly around her frame, only to realize she had become entangled in it during the night. The shrill noise of blinds rising and blinding Faye with the coarse sunlight of the desert brought Faye from her unconcious delight. Duke stood above her, a grin pasted upon his dry lips. It had been like this for several months now, as Faye reacalled. Duke would wake her up, make her do a few chores around the trailor before giving her the day's lesson. The lesson would go on for hours (taking a mild break for lunch) and would leave Faye utterly drained of all energy. Duke would then turn on the television and lecture Faye about poilitcs and what not. The bounty hunter would then leave the room and head towards the kitchen to cook up a meal fit for two people.  
It was an honest life. One that Faye had grown accustomed to. Sometimes, Duke would recieve a call from a friend of his in the city about a bounty, and the couple would jump into the Redtail and head towards the desired location. Faye never questioned where Duke got the gas for the craft, or why he never let her participate in the hunting, but ten minutes of waiting in the Redtail, and Duke was handed a hefty amount of woolongs for a bounty that Faye had never seen. It wasn't until their final weeks together that Faye questioned Duke's motives. She played with the steak on her plate and sighed, bringing herself a look from the dark man.  
"What is it Faye?" Faye felt like a helpless child and sounded like a crushed teenager.  
"How come you never let me help you with the bounties? I'm more than qualified now. You've taught me all I needed to know to survive out there. So why keep me locked up in this tin foil trailer?" Duke quietly set his fork down and excused himself from the table, leaving a wide eyed Faye. She followed the man to the kitchen and proceeded to interrogate the hunter. "Come on Duke! I'm serious! You always take me along but I never get to see anything let alone DO anything! I'm so sick and tired of this, Duke!!"  
"A woman doesn't belong behind a gun." He never took his eyes away from the sink as the statement dripped from his mouth. Faye could feel her jaw drop at least ten feet. She honestly couldn't believe what this man was saying. He taught her how to hold a gun but didn't want her exercising those skills?!  
"A woman doesn't belong cooped up either!! Let me live a little, Duke! I'm not a child! I can pull off a bounty, I swear it!!" The large man sighed and turned off the faucet.  
"Tomorrow night. We have to pull off a risky operation that involves some undercover work. I want you dressed and ready at seven, otherwise, your ass will get left behind." Faye bit her lip in happiness. Her first bounty hunt!!  
Duke beamed with pride as he watched Faye descend down the stairway to the lobby of the hotel. She was dressed in a magnificent gown that hardly left anything to the imagination - which is exactly what she needed to win the bounty over. Her violet locks were pulled up tightly, a few strands draping the nape of her neck. Duke met her at the end of the staircase and held out his arm. Faye graciously hooked her arm in his and followed him to the ballroom.  
"Do you have your gun?"  
"Strapped to my thigh."  
"Remember what the bounty looks like?"  
"Red hair, blue eyes, about six foot two, slightly muscular."  
"And the game plan?"  
"Lure him to the hall and await your arrival."  
"You're learning.....slowly but surely....you're learning." Faye laid her head down on the tuxedo clad man's shoulder. She hadn't felt this safe with anyone she had met yet and she looked up to Duke as a father figure. Duke smiled to himself at the woman's gesture but the simper slowly disappeared as he found two men staring at him from the corner of his eye. The feeling of ultimate doom lingered over him like a bad shadow. He knew what was going to happen that night.  
  
Spike wandered the empty street, bloodied and bruised. He couldn't help but laugh at the scene. It was only a few years before that a similar scene had taken place.....Deja vu? His mind played back the week's events like an old movie. Bits and pieces were clear but the climax had become fuzzy with age. He leaned against a lamp post and searched through his jacket for the pack of cigarettes that he carried during times like these. At the failed attempt of finding nicotine, Spike yelled out in frusutration, unaware that his wounds bled even more at the unleashed emotion. He was stupid for ever trusting Vicious. He had left for two months....TWO months and the bastard couldn't wait to bed Julia. And Julia.....she left afterwards, wallowing in self pity for ever laying a finger on Vicious. Why had he done it? Why did Spike just leave like that? He knew why....he had to get away from the Syndicate. Perhaps THAT was the actual reason that Vicious hunted Julia down and persued her like an animal. And now, she was gone. She left him a 'Dear John' letter and vanished, along with his love....his life....his entire being. His vision became blurry as blood trickled down his forhead and into his chesnut orbs. He finally took notice of his physical pain. Hopefully, now, the Syndicate would believe him dead. He had fought his last battle with the organized crime.  
"Hey, kid. You alright?" Spike glanced up and found a large figure walking towards him. His instinct told him to shrug the man off, but his gut told him otherwise. Mental stills of Julia, and his life while he was with the blonde angel drifted in and out of brain. His knees began to shake, hinting at a collapse that he might not wake up from. But he never felt the impact...  
  
Faye stepped lightly towards the intended bounty, only to hear gunshots ring throughtout the hotel. Warm, red liquid seeped through the sheer sleeve of her gown. She quickly turned to meet the icy blue eyes of Duke fall to the carpeted ground. She kneeled beside the one who had saved her from certain death in the dark city he found her in.  
"Duke!! Duke get up!! Please!!" Tears trailed down her rosied cheeks and onto the fine beard that the hunter sported. He smiled at the woman, and cupped her cheek.  
"They finally got me. Get out of here while you still can, Faye. Take the Redtail. I was gonna give it you....anyway." Amid the screaming women and the frantic men, Faye watched Duke fall into an eerie dream he would never wake up from, and said goodbye to her hero. She picked up the small folds of her gown and slipped off her high heels before taking off through the fire exit.  
If only she had been quicker. If only she had left sooner. If only Duke hadn't been a bounty hunter with a bounty on his own head, then perhaps the men dressed in all black wouldn't have spotted Faye as she headed out the door and would later capture her, only to learn that she carried a hefty amount on her head.  
She was so near, so close, yet she could feel the Redtail slip out of her fingers as two stong hands pulled her away from freedom. So many words raced through her head to describe the feelings rushing through her - despair,sorrow, anger, loneliness. Yet only one could describe her exact mood, and she proudly yelled it out as the men handcuffed her.  
"DAMMIT!!"  
  
"Dammit..." Spike conciousness returned to him later that night and he found himself neatly placed on a yellow couch. Maybe a brown eyed exotic beauty would show up, bearing a scantily clad outfit and pain killers.  
"Nice to see that you returned to the world of the living." Spike turned his head to find a rather brute looking man sitting across from him. So much for the alluring female theory. He looked like he was in his mid thirties, yet he was already bald. Spike winced as he sat up to face the stranger that probably saved his life.  
"And to whom do I owe thanks to?"  
"Jet. Jet Black. And no thanks is needed, really. Just doing my civil duty."  
"The name's Spike. Spike Spiegel. And you were better off leaving me for dead."  
"Perhaps."  
"So where exactly am I?"  
"The Bebop. My ship." Spike mentally groaned. Things were not going as he would have liked. Jet stood up to leave the room, only to be stopped by Spike's bandaged arm.  
"I don't have money on me to pay you."  
"Didn't think you would. But you can work it off."  
"Huh?"  
"I'm a simple bounty hunter trying to make a living. but one man can't bring in enough money to fuel this ship and survive. I need some help around here."  
"And what benfits do I get?"  
"A room, of course, of your choosing. And i've been experiementing with a few cookbooks so you'd gain a cook also."  
"And what makes you think i'm capable of working as a bounty hunter?"  
  
"Can you shoot straight?"  
"Oh I can do so much more than shoot straight." Spike grinned cockily as Jet pondered over his remark. Spike leaned back on the yellow couch as Jet left the room. A bounty hunter,eh? I guess that made him a real life cowboy now....  
  
"Don't you touch my ship!!" The Redtail had been given to her only hours before and she was already considering a piece of her property. Faye kicked and screamed down the cement hallway as the undercover cops pulled her into the room where they would take her mugshot. It seemed that Duke had once been part of an old space gang and had aquired a very large bounty during his days of rebelious youth. Faye squirmed underneath the metal of the handcuffs. She hated being in this situation. She stared blankly as the two cops who brought her in made bets on a horse race being televised. Hypocrites,Faye thought. Yes, the world is full of them. We have racial groups *coughKKKcough* that tell African Americans to go back their country when the "supreme race" isn't even from America. If you want to tell someone to go back to their country, then you need to jump back on the ship from Europe that you came on. You have an educational system that says you can have an IQ of a bajillion but a GPA of 1.2 says you're stupid. It's sad that intelligence is now based how many worksheets we turn in. But what really fires me up, is the fact that we don't have enough money to feed innocent children, yet we somehow managed to find the dough to send troops to a war that was initially meant to avenge a travesty that could have been prevented. Yes, the world is full of hypocrites, Faye.  
  
I'm way too opinionated. Excuse the lateness of this chapter and the very political speech at the end. I blame both on me being sick.... 


	5. Cat's In The Cradle

Yes, I have a soft spot for the 70's. I wish I had been born during that decade, yet I was born in the era of big hair, bad fashion (minus Cyndi Lauper, i'm talking about the plastic hoop earrings, big bows, and bad patterns. Don't fib....we've all seen the early episodes of Full House!), and 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go's'. A sad, sad world......I think my brain was seriously fried by prescription medicine last chapter. Plus I was watchin Dubbya on the tele and my anger got the best of me. I love that man to pieces....except for the standardized testing he gave Texas......and his ignorance.....but he's a good guy. I'd like to sit down and have a beer with him.....  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : Cat's In The Cradle  
  
'Bang...' A bloodied finger pointed at Faye before collapsing at her feet in a pool of crimson liquid.  
"No!!"  
  
Faye literally leapt out of her chair at the police station. She had just taken her mug shot, shooting a not so nice glare at the butch woman behind the camera, and had accidentally fallen asleep during her wait for her check in to her jail cell. The night was turning out to be worse than it was worth. Faye pulled her gown clad legs up to her chest. They had taken the handcuffs off an hour before, thinking that Faye was dumber than she looked. I'll show them dumb, she thought, and searched the room for a way out. It was then that she found the police locker room. A small light bulb suddenly became brighter with thought in her head.  
"Hey..." A skinny rookie at the front desk rose from his seat with a questioning look plastered to his face. "Can I change into my other clothes?" The man scratched the back of his head and walked over to the violet haired prisoner.  
"I don't see why not. It's not like there's any windows or anything in the bathroom." He accompanied Faye to the nearest bathroom - across from the police locker room - and waited for her outside her stall. Faye bit her bottom lip in anticipation and threw her gown over the beige door like a rag doll. She slipped into the yellow latex like material and wrapped Duke's red jacket around her shoulders, only to have it fall to her elbows. She chuckled lightly to set her plan up.  
"Oh gosh, this is so embarrassing, but I got my hair stuck in my zipper. Could you possibly give me a hand?" The police officer reddened but said a quick 'sure' in response. In one swift motion, Faye was unlocking the door and slamming it against the man's skull. He held his head in his hands for a brief moment, cursing himself under his breath for believing the woman, before Faye up-handed him with a plunger. She checked for a pulse and quickly left the scene, slipping into the police locker room. She quietly pulled on a uniform and headed out the door, hoping no one take notice of her absence.  
"Hey!" Faye paused and cringed. Her cover had been blown. "That Valentine woman got away. We're checking the perimeter now." Faye nodded and kept to her path. She was so close to freedom that she could feel her fingers itching to grab onto the cool controls of the Redtail and hightail it out of there. She activated the signal on the old ship and hopped in, and just in time. A dozen cops came running out of the station, only to recieve a sly wave from the vixen.  
She was free, well...almost. She still had a bounty on her head. But she was away from that blasted station. She would not be caged up like an animal. She sighed as she stared off into the never ending sea of stars. Who would help her now?  
  
~3 years later~  
  
She had never meant to make the mistake of confusing two men's identities, yet she did. And ended up being taken into interrogation by the all men (go figure) crew. It hadn't started out like that. No, the green haired man sat at her table and stared at her, a lazy smile etched permanently on his features. Not that she minded. He was cute, almost too cute for his own good. And Faye found herself completely enthralled by his looks. And then he left the table with his one chip. The one chip that she needed. And any attraction she had for him left. She needed to get rid of that debt and that damn chip was one step closer in doing so. So she followed him, and confronted him about the stupid chip. That was when he admitted he didn't speak up about her cheating. He knew?! Faye carefully put the pieces back together in her mind, replaying the goofy grin, and the stares. Yep, he knew that Poker Alice had cheated. Hell, that was the only way she knew how to play the game! Since her departure from Duke three years ago, she had made a living by capturing small bounties and taking up small jobs here and there. And then that damn casino owner found her, and here she was, arguing with a green haired lunkhead about a stupid chip. The next few weeks became a blue to her. She remembered being taken in, once again, by the Bebop crew, but never leaving. For some reason, it felt like home.  
But what caught her attention wasn't the fact that they actually let her stay, or the mismatched masculine forms gracing the ship. It was the green haired lunkhead. She found herself watching him from a distance, trying to figure him out. Spike Spiegel was indeed handsome, no doubt about that. He was also a cocky son of a bitch that placed himself right underneath Faye's skin. She found herself growing irritated day by day with Spike, and that unnerved her. She had never let a man inch his way into annoyance. She had always been able to keep her cool around the male species since Whitney. Even with Duke, she remained calm. But Spike was an entirely different story. It was when Vicious kept her hostage, did she truly realize that the embitterment she carried was actually that of endearment. He had risked his life to come get her, more out of pity and revenge than out of the kindness of his heart. And she felt her heart plummet as she watched the cowboy fall from the stained glass window. And she cared for him. She actually put her walls down and bandaged up the man who irritated her, only to find out about his past...and his Julia...later on that night.  
  
It had been dark on the Bebop that night, or at least darker than usual, as Faye tiptoed down the cold corridor leading to Spike's bedroom. Since her uninvited arrival on the Bebop, the bounty hunter hadn't once peeked into the object of her agitation's room once. Now that he was bandaged up, she could easily sneak into the bedroom, and dig up some info on the cowboy. It's not like the lazy bum would notice if she was in there. He was out cold, considering the amount of painkillers he had taken. She sometimes wondered if those pills would kill him. But lucky for her (insert sarcasim here), they never did. She slid open the door and peered in.  
It was a simple room with rumpled white sheets on the bed and drawers that refused to remain closed. A half smoked cigarette butt lay in his ashtray, calling forth her nicotine craving. She never figured out where the need for smoking came from, but she would go into a frenzy if she didn't have one. Faye searched her pockets for a cigarette, but much to her dismay, found none. A sly grin played upon her features as her nimble fingers lit the half smoked butt and brought it to her own ruby tinted lips. She then proceeded to dig through the man's things as she sat down on the still warm bed. Her eyes scanned the few pieces of his past which included numerous photos of Vicious and a mysterious blonde woman. There were scattered artifacts that he had failed to throw out and a few old CD's but that was about it. Faye sighed in defeat. He obviously traveled light. She was about to give up and go back to lounge area when a yellowed piece of paper caught her emerald eye. It had been torn and thrown around, and then put back together again. Signs of rage were covering the letter. Faye squinted to read the thin handwriting, but to no avail.  
"A goodbye letter." Faye almost choked on the cigarette as Spike's voice echoed through the room. She hastily pushed his belongings back into the drawer and stood up to hide her crime, forgetting about the letter that now fell lightly to the floor.  
"Spike! What are you doing here?!" The lanky bounty hunter was leaning against the door frame for support. He was in no condition to walk at that moment but he found himself drawn to the comfort of his bed when the familiar presence of Faye had left the room.  
"Well this IS my room. Next time i'll be sure to knock though...."  
"You know what I meant! You're in no shape to be walking around right now."  
"Is that concern I see?"  
"No? It's annoyance. You scared the living daylight out of me!"  
"Next time i'll yell on the way over so you'll be able to hide any detection of your presence in my room."  
"That would GREATLY be appreciated. Considering next time I won't get caught."  
"There won't be a next time. I'm putting in the suggestion of locks in to Jet." Faye lifted her chin in defiance, unwillingly letting curiosity get the best of her. "So it was a goodbye letter? To whom?"  
"An old flame."  
"Ah...I see.. Once your flame, twice your burn."  
"Something like that." Spike struggled to make it to his bed. Lucky for him, he succeeded.  
"Did she ever get it?"  
"Nope. Why say goodbye when you know you're coming back?"  
"At least you got that chance..."Faye mumbled.  
"Hm?"  
"Nothing. Just get some rest before you move like that again. And Spike?"  
"What?"  
"Thanks for coming after me like you did."  
"I had an unresolved conflict to take care of Faye. Don't look deeper into it." The words came out harsher than expected.  
"Of course. And Spike? I didn't know you listened to John Lennon." She nodded towards the pile of discarded CDs.  
"He was a good man. One with unrealistic ideas, but a good man nonetheless. He should've been listened to more often than not." Faye sighed as the repetitive motion of deep slumber took over the stillness of Spike's bedroom.  
John Lennon was indeed a good man, who had great ideals. Just not enough time to exercise them. The great poet once wrote "No one you can save that can't be saved." What if that person doesn't want to be saved? He also said "All you need is love." Which is true in a way. The world will go on as long as that one person is beside you all the way. Life seems easier when you wake up to their face. Is there such thing as one sided love, though? Of course there is. When you and you alone have an undying devotion to another who ceases to know you exist....it's called a crush  
  
Crushes are a bitch aren't they? That's probably why they call them crushes, because you end up getting crushed in the end. But love takes two tango, and right now, Faye felt like she was dancing alone like an idiot. Love's like that. It's not always for sure. You think you bag someone and boom! A blonde beauty comes waltzing in, taking everything you wished you had.  
I think love was invented by the creators of board games. There's no sure chance that you'll win, and just because you win the first time, doesn't mean every family get-together will end with you jumping up and doing the victory bum dance in your father's face. However, there are some guys you might want to bring home to your father, just so that you can wail out the lyrics to 'We Are The Champions' at dinnertime. But every now and then you will lose. The one person you want will walk away without a care in the world for your feelings. It hurts doesn't it? My mother always told me that there is always someone you least expect ready to love you for you. I always considered those guys the freaks that lay in the shadows, awaiting my descent into the unknown, sporting a tube top and a mini, and taking away what I had hoped to save for marital bliss. Maybe this is why I remain single for such long periods of time. Who knows? But for others, that person is right under your nose. And sure, yeah, maybe they are taken by that blonde beauty. Or maybe they're just waiting to hear that "there are other fish in the sea" lecture from you (just don't end up being the JAWS of that ocean. Stalkers are really creepy and we don't need another sequel from that damn shark...). Sometimes, it's when you think you've lost them, that you've really found them..........SERIOUS foreshadowing here. If you couldn't catch that hint, then i'm at a loss for words.  
  
I love my lil ending paragraphs.....really I do....Next chapter will be longer. And there will definetly be some semi sappy moments. More points of view from Spike also. 


	6. Sweet Child Of Mine

Sorry this is taking so long. I got a lil sidetracked with Algebra 2....*mumbles incoherent things about the stupid subject.* Hmm.....speaking of homework.....I really should get started on that...Hm....Anyway, Enjoy! Oh yea, I added a lil fluff in here. I promise everything will get better but I need some stuff to set up the climax.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or any Guns n Roses song.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : Sweet Child Of Mine  
  
She had no past. She had nothing that could remind her of her past. No memories, no journals, no photos, no nothing. At night, she would lay awake, wondering what kind of life she had led before she had lost her memory. Did she have a good job? Was she happy? What was her family like? Was she....in love? And Faye would mentally hit herself for thinking up such things. She was lucky that she had been adopted by the Bebop crew, even if the crew consisted of a lazy playboy, a parental figure of an ex cop, a computer prodigy teenager, and an equally smart Corgi. How Faye fit into the complex puzzle of the Bebop was a mystery all in its own. She would smile at the brainteaser left before her, only to have her mind wander back to the questions of her past. She couldn't help it. She knew that the future was more important, but Faye felt like a piece of her would be missing until she found out about her past. She remembered a conversation between Ed, Spike, and Jet a few weeks earlier. Jet laughed about his first fishing trip with his father and how the small fish slipped right out of his hands and into his pants. Spike chuckled and said that growing up, everyone thought he looked like his father, but in reality, he had gotten his wild green hair from his mother's side. Even Ed had a story about her father leaving her at a daycare. Faye wrapped herself up into a tight ball. Did she ever go fishing with her own father? Did she look like her mother? Did they love her to pieces or discard her like trash? So many unanswered questions.  
Have you ever found yourself looking for something? An object, not worthy of the Almighty Dollar, but holding enough sentimental value that you turn your room into the sight of a Guns n Roses blockparty? And then, BOOM! It was there all along, floating about your presence and going undected by your searching eyes. That is exactly how that day turned out for Faye. She had been constantly searching for some clue, some hint of evidence, of what her life had been like before being frozen. And just like that, a tape has found her.  
Of course, Faye isn't the type to just accept packages with wondering the ulterior motive is. Which is exactly what happened when the delivery man sat a package in front of Jet with Faye's name written all over it...  
  
Spike tore open the crisp brown paper of the package as Jet lectured about running tests on the stupid thing. He was angry, Spike noticed. But who wouldn't be after paying someone else's C.O.D charges? Spike smiled to himself and stared down at the strange object laying in his hands. What kind of crap had Faye gotten into now? He pulled at the slick material, trying to figure out the contraption. Luckily, they could get money for such an antique. So, the vixen was good for something. The trip however, proved to be wasted time. Not only had they come back with the wrong machine to play the damn tape, but the owner of the previous VCR kept calling Spike about the 'breaking' his machine. Spike blew it off and motioned to Jet that another package had come in, before tearing this one up like the videotape. They would finally find out why the bounty huntress had sent herself a tape and a VCR, and charging herself for that matter.  
  
She had run. She hadn't meant to but fear got the better of her and she ran. But her heart wanted her to return before her brain finally gave in. She walked in expecting a chiding from the brute Jet and a witty comment from Spike that would leave her hollow on the inside. She took his words to heart whether he knew it or not. She would always tell herself that he was teasing, just trying to get a rise out of her, which in reality, he was. But sticks and stones can break your bones - words shatter the soul. (Heehee....thank you chicken soup for the soul!) He was speaking what everybody else feared to say - that she was bitchy, had an attitude problem, was a liar, a cheater, and couldn't give a care in the world for others. Of course she was like that! She had been cheated by a double crossing lawyer who only wanted to get rid of his debt by lring to women when had first awoken. She had almost got her ass kicked - almost killed - by a teenager in her first week of freedom. People looked down on her like she was useless; she had to prove them otherwise but bringing their ignorant behavior out in the open and cheating them for everything they're worth, just to ridicule them like they had ridiculed her. She lied to get her way through life. It was how she learned how to live in this universe. Could anyone blame her for being the way she was? Spike and Jet just didn't understand. She was frustrated. Not only with herself but with the entire world not giving her chance to live a normal life.  
She kicked a small stone out of her way as she entered the hanger of the large ship. Her presence was noted but not welcomed. The crew was still bitter about her departure. In fact, Jet refused to let her watch the mysterious tape without paying a small fee. She huffed and stomped out of the lounge area, only to hide herself behind her comrades, secretly wanting to know what was on the tape herself. The television lit up with the eerie glow of the video and a small violet haired preteen appeared in all her camera shy glory. Faye had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. That was her hair, and her eyes, but she couldn't remember those boney legs, or that innocent smile that hadn't been corrupted by the sins of greedy men and money hungry collectors. Her mind stretched to try to relive what she was seeing but nothing came forth. How could all this shown be true? This couldn't be her. This couldn't be Faye. There was no way.  
*The hero dies in the end.....* 'I can't remember..'  
*Happiness, no worries, not a care in the world..* 'I can't remember...'  
*A life full of Saturdays...* 'I can't remember...' The squeaky voice echoed in everyone's ears, especially Faye's. (A/N : I can't remember everything right off the bat what the young Faye said in the video so this is a guesstimate)  
"Am I happy? Is there a special guy in my life?" A small laugh was heard behind the camera. "I'm probably driving him crazy." A few more inspirational moments and then the girl came on in a cheerleading outfit. "I don't know what i'll be like in ten years but remember you can always turn to me. I'm always here for you. You just be you for me." 'I don't remember you!!' Tears swelled up in her moss colored eyes. She wanted to remember this little girl so badly. She wanted to go back into the comfort of that memory, but she couldn't. Her mind wasn't capable of drawing it up. Spike and Jet gawked at the small box, astonished at what they just saw. Both jaws had dropped a good five feet before Jet turned and faced Faye.  
"Faye, is that you?" Her ruby lips quivered. She didn't like this one bit. She could feel her walls crumbling around her heart and it ached with an unfamiliar pain.  
"I don't remember..." She turned and walked slowly to her bedroom. She wouldn't let her compatriots see the trail of tears streaming down her ivory cheeks. She wouldn't let them see her in this vulnerable state; when she couldn't even remember a simple childhood movie.  
She carefully slid the door to her bedroom shut and collapsed on the bed, tears still trickling down her chin and onto the pillow. She screamed into the feather filled fabric and punched at the mattress. Why couldn't she...?! It was so easy yet so difficult. Why did she have to ever get in that accident and get frozen?  
"Dammit!!"  
  
Spike blinked a few times before standing up and ejecting the videotape. Ed and Jet had left the room minutes ago, but Spike was still transfixed by the scene playing before him. 'She can't remember.' He had thought she was joking when she said she couldn't remember but then he saw the glistening eyes and the shakey figure. She was barely able to stand, let alone remember her childhood. He tucked the video underneath his arm and headed down the corridor. Faye wasn't your typical good girl, he knew this, but she didn't deserve to be deprived of the innocent pleasures of the reminiscence of immaturity.  
Faye cursed under her breath as she stared at the door. Part of her wished someone, even Ed, would come comfort her. But she suspected that everyone was still bitter. The other part wanted the solitude and Faye mumbled to herself at the fact that Jet had no locks on any of the Bebop's doors. Anyone could just barge in and grill her for information on why she had sent herself a tape that she didn't even know existed.  
"Hey Faye...." Spike gave small wave from the entryway. Point made. She turned her head to the other side, shading her face from contact with the lunkhead.  
"What do you want?"  
"So what was all that about?"  
"Since when did you become Oprah?" Spike winced. Reruns of the cable talk show still aired throughout the galaxy and every now and then he would catch the violet haired temptress sneaking a peek. Sometimes, the subject would be sappy and she would end up crying, blowing her nose violently into a tissue. Spike leaned against the wall, concealing the tape almost too well.  
"I just wanted to make sure you're....you know....okay." Faye finally lifted her head from the pillow and propped herself on her elbows.  
"Do I look okay, Spike? My days of youth just flashed before me and I can't remember any of it! Do you get that or is your ego stopping you from understanding anything?! I HAVE no parents to talk about. I HAVE no special stories to share with everyone. No first kisses, no trophies, no good report cards, no childish crushes. Nothing. I don't know how to make it any clearer for you Spike : I DON'T REMEMBER!!!" The tears were coming again. She didn't mean to be so harsh. He was, after all, trying to console her. But she didn't want to be consoled. She just wanted to be held and heard. And it seemed that neither was going to occur. She threw her legs over the edge off the bed, resembling the kid she just witnessed. Spike placed a firm hand on her shoulder.  
"It's the future that's important." That was the final straw. Faye shook her head, orchid tresses flying with every motion. She forcefully shoved his hand off her shoulder, only to hugged in a tighter grip. It felt so right but so wrong at the same time as Spike's arms snaked around her waist, holding her in a firm embrace. This wasn't consoling. This wasn't listening. This was pity. Pity mixed with guilt. He felt bad for calling her a liar when she honestly didn't know anything about herself. She squirmed in his arms before delivering a hard blow to his abdomen. He let out a slight grunt before being shoved out of the woman's bedroom. Faye braced herself for any other contact the cowboy might throw at her.  
"You know, Spike....me and you share an ironic bond. You live and chase after the past and I don't even have one. You hear me but you don't listen to me." With that said, she slammed the ship's door in the green haired bounty hunter's face. He sighed once before placing the rectangular tape at the door and walking back to his own room. She didn't have any memories, until now. She, at least, could keep this.  
Faye almost blew a fuse as she heard the rustling behind her door. She stood up with fists balled. Not only was she ready to sock the lunkhead a good one but she was ready to kill him for the stupid hug. She swung open the door, only to find a strategically placed video at her feet. She glanced around for Spike and then finally bent down, hugging the tape to her body.  
  
Simple gestures can mean the world to a person. A compliment can make a person's day. But where a simple gesture can brighten one's day, a remark can cause them to crash and burn. Calling a girl a slut, for example, can send her spiraling into self humiliation. Yes, self humiliation. We've all heard of self mutiliation, where someone tries to let the mental pain subside by inducing physical pain. Scars are left, both physically and mentally. Self humiliation is kind of the same. You receive a mean remark and your hatred for your own body or personality goes out of control. Your peers are no longer your enemy. You are your worst enemy. I'm not trying to make this into 'Save The People With Low Self Esteem Foundation' but realize - no one's perfect. The world is full of imperfections and a simple zit, or a measly pound, or broken heart, can be fixed. If your heart is brighter than the sky, than you're beautiful in any shape or form. Ignorance just hasn't let us realize that.  
  
Okay, so not a LOT of fluff. That's for later chapters.....hint hint, wink wink. 


	7. The Devil Went Down To Mars

Okay....I promised fluff and fluff you will have!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop.  
  
A LiFe Full Of Saturdays: Devil Went Down To Mars  
  
Faye pouted as whispers emerged from the hallway by her bedroom. It was well after noon and Faye was just beginning to stretch from a long overdue nap. For some reason, her encounter with Spike the night before had left her feeling drained, almost as if his gift had sucked the life right out of her. And, in a way, it did. The moment she spotted the little tape that held her childhood in a plastic box, she felt guilty for ever yelling at the bounty hunter. Not that he didn't deserve it of course. He believed himself to be so wise yet he had been running for years. Faye scrunched her nose up at the hug Spike had delivered along with her tape. It was a meaningful hug, and she could still fell the warmth where he had laid his hands. A loud knock brought Faye from her thoughts.  
"Wake up sleeping beauty. We got a lead on a large bounty head." Faye moaned but complied with the captain of the Bebop crew. She threw on her casual wear, which consisted of the yellow jumpsuit she had occupied from the hooker only three years before. Lucky for her, there wasn't a hole to be seen. She poked her head, checking for hyperactive hackers and snooty canines, before stepping out into the chilled air of the Bebop. She came upon the usual scene - Jet and Ed perched in front of the computer while Spike lay on the couch, barely paying attention. He was so cocky.  
Spike felt her presence as soon as she entered the room. He half expected her to become shy from the gesture last night, but instead, she flopped down beside him on the aged couch and began to file her petite nails. Nothing had changed since last night. Was she even grateful that he had given her the video? Probably not. She was never grateful for anything he ever did for her, which wasn't much. He peered over at her through the corner of his eye, hoping she would at least say thanks in some form or another.  
Spike's heavy gaze was beginning to send chills down her spine. He had never watched her quite like that before and it made her nervous. Sure, she was used to men watching her, but this was Spike. The arrogant jerk who pestered her when she was pmsing. The green haired lunkhead who smoked her cigarettes when he had none. The sly charmer who had sent her heart racing every time he touched her. Of course, she knew she was atrracted to the cowboy, but she found herself hoping for at least word from him to let her know she existed to him. She shook her head in frustration. 'It's a childish crush. That's it.' She scooted away from Spike and moved towards the picture of the red haired man that was flashing across Ed's computer screen. Faye squinted at the photo. She recognized this man....  
"Duke..." Jet glanced over his shoulder and found a glazed over Faye ready to shed tears.  
"Who are you talking about Faye? This is Chuck Sukimoto." Faye bit her bottom lip and wiped away any evidence of sadness from her face, and forgetting about the gaze that Spike still held.  
  
Stunning. That was the only word to describe the violet haired vixen that descended down the corridor in a cobalt halter evening gown lined with strands of silver trailing down to her ankles. Spike was utterly speechless by the sheer beauty Faye projected. Wait, what was he saying?! This was the woman who stole, lied, and cheated her way through life and here he was calling her beautiful? He ran a lanky hand through his wild mane and stuck out an arm to greet the lady. Faye was just as surprised by Spike's actions, but smiled warmly and took the invitation. He wasn't too shappy either, decked out in a raven black suit, the only color coming from a single rose pinned to his chest.  
"Okay you two. Chuck Sukimoto is armed and considered dangerous until you get him to the police station, understood?" Both Faye and Spike nodded and headed out to the Swordfish. Spike stared straight ahead, but paused to do a double check on everything.  
"Got your gun?" Faye nodded slowly, remembering her and Duke's conversation that had started the same way. She pulled up the side of her dress, revealing a pistol strapped to her flawless thigh."Remember what the bounty looks -"  
"Stop." Spike did as told and answered the command with a questioning glance. Faye rubbed at her forehead, almost forgetting that she couldn't cover up the action with hair, for it was pinned up tightly in a messy bun. "I'm sorry but this is just too weird for me."  
"Yeah, tell me about it. Who would've thought that you and I could dress this nicely?"  
"No, it's no that. It's just....i've had this conversation with someone else, someone close to me, and he ended up dying that night." It was the first time she had ever opened up to someone and mentioned Duke. Spike opened the cockpit and pulled a ladder down for Faye.  
"I'm not going anywhere Faye. I came here with you and i'm leaving with you." With that said, he held out his hand. Faye looked up at him with child like eyes, taking the breath away from the bounty hunter. Sighing in defeat, she grasped his hand and walked into the night with a lingering feeling that somehow, things just didn't seem right.  
  
They entered the room with eyes locked on their target. Now the question was : How were they going to get him away from the social clique he had formed? Spike and Faye walked towards an empty table, and much to Faye's surprise, had the chair pulled out for her. Spike? Being a gentlman? He must have read her mind for the bounty hunter winked and smiled at the startled Faye.  
"We have to play this part to the very last detail."  
"...R...Right." Spike placed himself across the table from his pretend date and sipped from the glass of wine placed before them. He had taken Julia to a place like this. It had been a friend's wedding and he and Julia had danced the night away. But that had been many moons ago and now he was sitting across the table from a gorgeous woman whom he knew he took for granted. A few brass instruments began to play in the corner and Spike held out his hand for the second time that night.  
"Wanna dance?"  
"What?"  
"I'm not going to ask twice. Either you do or you don't." Faye slid her hand into his as he lead onto the dancefloor, the music flowing with their every move. Spike arms crept around Faye's waist as they moved as one across the oak floor. Faye almost felt as if she was dancing on air. She smirked to herself as Spike pulled her closer to his thin form.  
What was he doing? He had given his heart away a long time ago and never had it returned. What was he doing dancing this intimately with another woman. He contemplated about stopping right there on the dance floor, but then he saw the happiness return to Faye's jade eyes and quickly put aside that decision. Maybe just this once. Maybe for this one night, he could just forget about everything and just dance with his bounty hunting companion who just happened to be female.  
Faye met Spike's mismatched orbs and smiled a genuine smile. She had never felt this safe, this secure since Duke. But the feelings being emitted here were different. She wanted this moment to freeze in time and just stay like this forever. However, Faye's bliss was shattered as the glimpse of silver hair and an entourage of men gathered in the doorway. Vicious. Damn. It seemed that perfection had been destroyed just by the mere being. Spike followed her glance and glared at his foe. He let quickly let his hands drop from Faye's body and trail down to his gun. Faye panicked and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tenderly.  
"No. Please Spike. Let's just stay like this.....just for right now. You said you wouldn't go anywhere..." Her eyes pleaded with his and returned to the dance he had started, with a very scared Faye burying her head into his shoulder. She didn't want the night to end. Not like this. Not in a bloody battle to the death.  
"Faye...you know that at some point..." Faye pressed a finely manicured finger to his lips.  
"Just shut up for once Spike. You talk too much." Spike chuckled and laid his chin upon her hair. This felt nice. Just dancing with Faye. But in the back of his mind, he kept a watchful eye on Vicious, wondering what exactly the fiend had planned.  
It wasn't the fact that Vicious had abducted Faye in the past. And it wasn't the fact that she was there and he had a vendetta agaisnt Spike. Maybe it was the wine talking, but men become very protective of a lady in their presence at times like these. But all good things must come to an end, and in a few days, a golden haired angel would return to the world of the living and announce her loyalty to Faye's cowboy. And in a few days, the golden haired angel would walk among the clouds and watch Spike from a perch next to legends who had died from a drug overdose but left a legacy behind them. In a few days, Faye would watch helplessly as Spike would walk from her life forever, never taking a second glance at her. In a few days, fate would play a cruel joke on Faye and she would never have to say 'See ya space cowboy..' again....She wouldnt' understand it at first, but do any of us? We question everything from why pets die to why the sky is blue. But there is no answer, we just get played on by fate.  
  
That was a small taste of fluff......more to follow soon. What? You think i'd hand you that much mush all at once?! That isn't good for the heart, man. 


	8. Strong Enough To Be My Man

This is going somewhere....I swear it. I just have to get through a couple of more chapters before the real fluff begins. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait. At least I hope it will be. Also, this chapter has turned into a mini song fic. I couldn't help it...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough"  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays - Strong Enough To Be My Man  
  
Faye held on tighter to her slender arms as the cool wind from the north of Mars flew down. The night had just been getting too weird for her liking as she danced with Spike in order to keep away from Vicious. She didn't have the right to do that, and she knew it, but she just couldn't let herself let him go off to meet death. Things were too perfect at that moment to be ruined by a sadistic man with dreams of killing his former best friend. And the night had ended with Chuck Sukimoto leaving with his posse and disappearing into the night scene of clubs and bars. So much for bounty hunting. Spike hadn't been much company after Vicious' reappearance and chose to remain silent for the rest of the night. Faye could understand, at least she thought she could. She shook her head vigorously behind Spike. No, she couldn't understand. She didn't know what it was like to be betrayed by your best friend, lose the love of your life, and vanish from a deadly mafia of sinister men. And even if she did experience something along those lines, it's not like she could remember them. She shivered once more as she watched Spike invoke in a cigarette break. She didn't even think he noticed her presence, so imagine her surprise when he discarded his tuxedo jacket and dropped it upon her bear shoulders.  
"You should've brought your jacket."  
"I forgot." It was the only thing Faye could manage to say as she wrapped the man's coat tightly around her frame. He was so distant now. And the distance wasn't the kind that daydreamers persue. Spike was in a deadly daze that he couldn't get out of until his blood lust was taken care of. They walked up to the Swordfish side by side, only this time, when Spike held out his hand to help Faye up into the ship, she refused.  
"Aren't you coming?"  
"No. Actually, I thought i'd get a drink before I headed back to the Bebop."  
"Have it your way.", Spike huffed. Faye backed up as the Swordfish took off from sight. Faye sighed and proceeded to walk back to the ritzy bar she had spotted inside the room where she and Spike had danced. She sat herself square in the middle and ordered a vodka on the rocks. Before she knew it, a large figure was sitting beside her, ordering the exact same drink.  
  
That voice. It was the same voice that had led her to discover Gren's secret. It was the same voice that was still able to send chills down her spine every time she heard it. Her eyes widened, yet she managed to keep her cool as the bartender slid her drink over to her.  
  
"Hello Faye."  
"Vicious." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him grin. She bit her tounge from giving the monster a verbal lashing. She still blamed him for the death of Gren. Gren. She had never before felt so safe, so carefree, as if she had no problem in the world with letting her walls down, then she had with that man. He didn't involve her in his problems and treated her with care. If he had lived through his personal ordeal, there was no telling how their friendship could've evolved. They were similar in that they were both lonely. Faye not having a past to live by and Gren not being able to live a normal life period.  
"I take it you're still bitter?"  
"What do I owe the pleasure of your presence here tonight?" Vicious set down the small glass and peered down into the alcoholic beverage.  
  
"I am offering you freedom. Join the Syndicate and forget about everything. Create a new life. Leave Spike to his miserable demise."  
"What makes you think I give a damn about you or that lunkhead?" She signaled for another drink. She would need as many as possible after this confrontation.  
  
"I saw the way you held him while dancing. The clinging, the need, the want you have for him." Faye remained quiet. She didn't want to hear all this for the man was speaking the truth. She wanted nothing more than to pause life for that moment just so she could hold Spike. "Even now, as I speak of him, your mind wanders back to a few hours ago. You wouldn't have to live in Julia's shadow if you joined forces with me." Faye gulped down the last of her vodka and stood to leave.  
"I have to go now."  
"Think about what I said, Faye." Faye lowered her head so the silver haired demon couldn't catch the tears forming in her kelly eyes. She signaled for the Redtail and in less than five minutes, her ship had landed and opened its cockpit like a loyal dog. Faye's heart was heavy. Never before in her life had she ever have to make a decision that could make or break two people. If she joined the Syndicate she would be free from the reign Spike had placed on her the moment he laid his mismatched eyes on her. On the other hand, she would betraying Gren, herself, and Spike. Gren died by Vicious' hand and he had almost killed both her and Spike. Plus, Vicious was Spike's sworn enemy, and she, his silently pronounced comrade. Faye entered the Bebop with a forlorn look hanging over her features. It was so noticable that even Jet was afraid to question her whereabouts. She threw her body onto her bed, crushing her pillow with head and nails.  
  
God I feel like hell tonight  
Tears of rage I cannot fight  
I'd be the last to help you understand  
Are you strong enough to be my man?  
  
She couldn't do it. She couldn't just go out and leave behind everything she had worked for up until now. Tears now trailed down her cheeks and she sat up to face the wall, letting her violet locks free of the pins that held it up. Her head was pounding and it wasn't from the alcohol. She couldn't replace Julia. She never could. But she wanted to so badly.  
  
Nothing's true and nothing's right  
So let me be alone tonight  
Cause you can't change the way I am  
Are you strong enough to be my man?  
  
Lie to me  
I promise i'll believe  
Lie to me  
But please don't leave  
  
She wasn't the golden haired beauty that haunted Spike's dream and every waking moment. She was Faye. The hard-luck, violet haired, green eyed, woman with an attitude who rarely let her emotions show. A soft knock brought her from her thoughts and she quickly tried to hide the evidence of her woes.  
"Who is it?"  
"It's Spike. I need that jacket back. Are you at least half decent?" Faye managed a smile and opened the door for Spike. She was met with a worried, yes worried, frown.  
"Were you crying?"  
"No. I....It's nothing. Just allergies." She handed Spike the ebony coat, only now, he was sitting on her bed and facing the wall like she had done a few moments ago.  
"You're a bad liar. Look, Faye about tonight..." She gulped. She felt like a teenager being dumped and Faye Valentine was not one to be dumped.  
"No it's okay Spike. I know what is expected of you. Nothing more than friendship. I understand."  
"Do you?" What did he mean by that? "Look Faye, tonight could have been a close encounter with death and in the next few weeks, I may not be around for awhile. I have to take care of this vendetta." No not like this. She didn't want him to leave. Not for the silly reason of chasing his past.  
  
I have a face I cannot show  
I make the rules up as I go  
It's try and love me if you can  
Are you strong enough to be my man?  
  
When i've shown you that I just don't care  
When i'm throwing punches in the air  
When i'm broken down and I can't stand  
Would you be man enough to me my man?  
  
Tears were now falling freely and she lunged herself at the cowboy, fists balled up and pounding on his chest. She had never attacked him from pure frustration before, and she didn't like it. But who was he to tell her now, after all this time, that he wasn't sticking around.  
"Damn you Spike Spiegel! You're so selfish!! So damn selfish! Don't you dare tell me this!! Don't you dare!!" The punches were thrown and Spike finally caught one in each hand, staring intently into Faye's face. He had never seen an outburst from her like this. Why start now? Unless she cared more than she let on. Faye collapsed against Spike's chest, unto which he set her gently down on the bed. He peered over his shoulder once more at the woman before turning to leave. She would have one more chance to see before he left her completely...  
Lie to me  
I promise i'll believe  
Lie to me  
But please don't leave  
  
It was two days later that Ed knew the location of a waterfall in Faye's video of her thirteen year old self. They had ventured out and even managed to find some information but nothing re-logging Faye's memory. She now placed her head agaisnt the tile of the shower stall, longing to remember. But it wasn't...there isn't....  
'That may stay like that if you never change it.' Who...  
'If you're bored than you're boring - and you're not a boring girl Faye.' Who are you...?  
'A life full of Satudays...'  
'Love you hun.'  
'Love you too Dad.' Daddy...  
'I was at my brightest moment when YOU WEREN'T AROUND!!' You weren't around....you never were. Daddy...  
'I'm probably driving everyone around me crazy. Sorry I don't mean to.' Come back to me...  
As if lightning had struck at that moment and turned on a little light bulb in Faye's mind, memories came rushing back. The accident, her fight with her mother, her father twirling her around in the park, her cheeleading days in junior high, home...  
She rushed over to the brick home she had grown up in as fast as she could, only to find a pile of rubble where the abode had once stood. Hopeless. She found where she belonged and she couldn't go back to it. Unless this wasn't where she belonged.  
  
~Flashback~  
"Home is where the heart is..." Spencer and Faye sat on a dock watching the sun fade over them. They had just graduated highschool and knew that their lives were on a whole new path.  
"What the hell are you talking about Spenc?" She lightly nudged him but he remained serious.  
"I mean, we all think that home is where you live. Not me. When we were neighbors, and shared our first kiss. That was home. That's where my heart still is." Faye blushed at his recollection of that day.  
"Look Faye. I don't how we'll end up, but I do know this. For some crazy I think that me and you aren't meant to be. But it's odd, I can see the man's face, I just don't quite know who he is. Funny thing is, he looks just like me. And I feel....no I know.....your home is with him...."  
~End~  
  
The Bebop. Home is where the heart is and in twenty four hours Faye would watch her home, heart, her life walk away from her. Spencer had shown her more than she knew at that time. Not only was he speaking of Spike, but he was speaking of everything. The Bebop, Ed, Ein, Jet, and Spike. Faye stared up at the amber glow of the sunset. I mentioned before that fate has a funny way of working things out. They make your life a complicated soap opera before giving you the plot that brings it all together. Faye's plot was set before her and as the sky became lit up will millions upon billions of stars, Faye was able to catch the dimming a of a certain star. You can't predict death. You can come close but life always manages to tweak that one nerve and screw it all up. She had one second chance and she would be damned if she would lose it now...  
  
And now.....a song for all of you - My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R. My bologna has a second name it's M-A-Y-E-R. Oh I love to eat it everyday and if you ask my why i'll saaaaaayyyyy - Cuz Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A! 


	9. The Memory Remains Part 1

Much love and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. And if you're just a loyal reader who doesn't review - much love to you too. But go ahead and review - even criticism. I'm no Hemingway and can always make room for improvement. Serious mush coming up....you have been warned all you non mushy..fluff...diserlikers.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or "Goodnight,Starlight" by Juliana Theory or "The Memory Remains" by Metallica although I highly despise Lars whatever his name is....  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : The Memory Remains - Part 1  
  
"I'm not going there to die. I'm going there to see if I was ever really alive." Faye's heart plummeted into the depths of an unknown region. She had lost him. She had her chance and tried her damnest to keep him from leaving, but it wasn't enough. She watched Spike Spiegel melt into the darkness as his figure walked away from the Bebop. She fell against the hard metal of the ship, forgetting about the sharp pain that flew up her back. She was focused on a different kind of pain. Her heart felt like it had been mauled to death by a stray dog. She brought her knees to her chest with much difficulty and cried like she had done two nights ago when Spike first let on that he was leaving and may never come back. For the first time in her life, she felt like she needed to see a priest and repent. For what? She had no idea. It just seemed like the most logical thing to do at that moment.  
"I'm going out." She tried her best to keep her cool as she walked past Jet. The former police officer shrugged without his usual interrogation of the bounty huntress.  
  
"Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been fifty four years since my last confession."  
"Speak child."  
"Father, I don't even know if this is considered a sin, but I failed in helping out fate."  
"Pardon child?"  
"He was right there, Father, and I let a man walk into death. I couldn't save him." The priest's voice was gentle and wise. Faye had never thought herself religious and he must have sensed this.  
"Child, perhaps he didn't want to be saved."  
"Then what was all that cr- sorry - stuff about fate and him and home is where the heart is." The elderly man chuckled behind the small door that concealed identities.  
"What you are thinking, even I do not know. But you did not come here to repent. You came here for forgiveness. What is it that you search for child?"  
"I don't know. I didn't want him to leave. I...I grew too attached."  
"Then the only sin you are guilty of is greed. You wanted this man for yourself when he was not yours to be taken."  
"Yeah...I guess."  
"Ten Hail Mary's."  
"That's it!!?"  
"No. Go find him..." Faye's eyes widened as the priest spoke. Where the hell...in the world....would she find him? The priest closed the tiny door and left Faye to her own thoughts. She opened the tiny room up, only to find a short, stout woman smiling up at her. Faye returned the gesture with a weak grin of her own and headed out of the small church. People were running all over the place and she thought she caught the words 'Syndicate' and 'bombs' in the same sentence. She followed the crowd, hoping that Fate would give her break and just help her out a smidget.  
  
"Bang..."  
  
Have you ever had a moment in life where time just slows down for you? Everything around you continues moving but you are held to the ground, unable to move. This was Faye's moment as Spike spoke his final words and fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Faye turned her back on the scene and clenched her fists. She wanted to run away, run away from everything that reminded her of Spike and the times they shared together. It wasn't that she was afraid of what was laying before her. She had seen dead bodies before. But she thought, that maybe, if she turned away and closed her eyes and wished hard enough, it would just disappear. She would return to the Bebop and see the lazy lunkhead sleeping on the couch and remarking about her attire or gambling habits as she walked by. She turned her head slightly, only to find the still form still laying on the pavement stairs. She shook her head and squeezed out the tears. Then she began to run. She didn't know where, but it was the only way to get away from it, from him. He was gone. Spike Spiegel had conquered his past. She ran into the nearest alley and desended against the wall, tears flowing freely. Why? Why had she let herself care so much? She punched at a nearby metal trashcan, unleashing the rage she was succumbing to. God, she missed the man already. Stars now dotted the sky as she peered up.  
"God....if there is a God....bring him back. I promise....I don't know what i'll promise just bring him back....please?" No answer. Why did she even expect an answer? She laughed at her childish way and stood up to head back to the Bebop.  
  
Miracles happen everyday. You see it in the tabloids, in the newspapers, and on t.v. But even when reading them or watching them play out in front of you on a screen, you still wonder if they could ever really happen. But on that remarkable day, Faye's prayer was answered, even though she didn't know it yet. At that time, a peach haired, silver eyed angel had chosen to glance out of her window to see a crowd gathering around a thin figure. She would climb out the window and push her way through the dispersing crowd and stand before the fallen cowboy. Carefully, she knelt before him, pushing a bit of green hair from his face. She was about seven, no younger, no older, and proved to be wise beyond her years. She lay beside Spike as if she were dying also, staring intently at his features. He carried regrets but also seemed pleased. The tiny form rested her hands on her forarms and continued her mental match with the man.  
  
"Close your eyes, you're beautiful when you're sleeping. Tonight may all your dreams come true. It's so nice to hold you while you're sleeping. When i'm sleeping next to you. What we've got is somethin special. What we are, is a perfect match. And three thousand miles could not come between us. And no matter what we do it's always you and me. And it's always me and you..." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she continued the song, and to her surprise she thought she saw the rise and fall of a heart trying to bring its master back to life.  
  
That voice. Who was it? It sounded like a child but why would a child be at the scene of numerous crimes in a Syndicate building. Spike struggled to breathe. For some odd reason, he wanted to see who the voice belonged to and slowly began to open his eyes. Before him stood the smallest body possible, sporting shoulder length reddish hair and the most innocent silver eyes he had ever seen. She seemed to be sent directly from heaven, smiling ever so softly.  
"Who are you?" His voice came out in short spurts of energy. That was all he was capable of.  
"Serenity." Spike managed to cough out a laugh.  
"Who are you?"  
"Just your...average day bounty hunter." Serenity smiled once more and sat on all fours.  
"Well my average day bounty hunter, you're hurt pretty badly."  
"Just let me meet my fate."  
"I can't do that."  
"And why not?"  
"Because that's not your fate..." Spike quirked an eyebrow, with much difficulty. Serenity leaned over him and brushed a light kiss on his forehead. "Shh...sleep now." Spike couldn't believe how easy unconciousness took over by the simple command. But when he woke up, he was on a small cot, and bandaged up from head to toe. Serenity was balled up in the corner, using her knees as a pillow. Spike felt bad for the child. The building was obviously abandoned, but served as a home to the child. She didn't have much, a hot plate serving as a stove, a broken dresser, and a rotting cot. Yet she seemed happy and content with her lifestyle. She wasn't alseep, as Spike had presumed and lifted her head when she felt the soft stare emitting from the bounty hunter. She tucked a strawberry strand of hair behind her pale ear and walked over to Spike, checking his cheeks and forehead for any sign of fever.  
"You know, children aren't really known to be doctors." Serenity ignored him and stepped over to a pitcher of water.  
"She ran."  
"Huh?"  
"I saw her run. You must go find her." Amazingly enough, Spike was able to sit upright on the cot and look directly at the child. His wounds had almost healed. But how?! He knew there had to have been internal bleeding, plus the numerous wounds he received from Vicious and the Syndicate. "Not everything has an answer, Spike Spiegel."  
"How did you know my name?"  
"Identification card."  
"You went through my belongings?!"  
"A girl has to eat. But alas, you were carrying no woolongs." The kid was a thief!! Not only was she a thief, but one hell of a healer.  
"Look kid -"  
"You have to go find her Spike. She's in danger."  
"Who?"  
"Snow White."  
"I don't have time for games, kiddo." Serenity frowned for the first time since Spike laid eyes upon her. She shook her head, her locks swinging from side to side in front of her face. Thin bangs now shadowed her bright eyes.  
"I can't see her name." She squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to remember something. "Purple hair." Her eyes reopened and seemed to sparkle with admiration. "And pretty green eyes. She looks...like Snow White. Very strong. Romani?" Spike was now watching the child in disbelief. How could she know of Faye? Faye rarely conversed with children let alone poor orphans. But the child was determined to make Spike understand. "She's in trouble Spike."  
"Faye can handle herself." He lay back on the wooden wall the cot was propped up against and searched for a cigarette. Just as he found one, it was yanked from his lips.  
"Not this time!!!" Spike was growing agitated and almost felt strong enough to shake some common sense into the little girl. He glanced down at her pleading eyes.  
"What kind of trouble?" Serenity sat down on the pitiful excuse of a bed next to Spike and ran her petite fingers over her head.  
"A man. Large. Decisions? Dragon. Tears. She's....crying...for you. Wishing....God....Bring you back." Spike gawked at the child. Faye was crying over him. Not only that, but she prayed for his return. Maybe the shrew had let on to more than he thought when he left her. He rubbed the sides of his skull, wondering just what it was he had to do.  
"How do you know all this?"  
"I...see things. But not all the time. Just certain people." The small fragments of sentences were enough to tell Spike a lifetime's worth of details. She was psychic.  
"I'm in a bit of a bind right now. As you can see I was a bit -"  
"You're healed."  
"Huh?" Serenity's gaze was locked on the floor and it looked as if she was close to crying.  
"Check for yourself." She stood up and skidded across the room into the dark hallway. Spike slowly unraveled the bandages and stared on in wonderment. There wasn't a scratch on him... 


	10. The Memory Remains Part 2

Updating...yea, this i like to do. Not because people ask mw (ok, that's a BIG reason) but I just love to write! Soooo sleepy though.....  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or Metallica's "The Memory Remains".  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: The Memory Remains - Part 2  
  
Of all things in the world he hated this little girl. Not because she was a kid, or because she was constantly humming a cheesy tune, or even because she was a thief. He hated her because she was gifted and performed miracles on people who were better off dead. And now, as Spike stared a the peach haired child with a deep enmity, yet he couldn't stay that way. She was practically begging him to go off and find Faye but his ego was telling him otherwise. And so, Serenity would continue singing that annoying tune and prance around the abandoned apartment building, making up chores to do as she went along. This was probably what cause the annoyed twitch from his eyebrow.  
"Do you have to keep singing?" Serenity turned to him, defiance clear in her silver eyes.  
"I'm not making you stay here. You're sitting on MY bed, remember? You can leave when you please." Spike sighed and leaned against the peeling, cheap, floral wallpapered wall. He lit a cigarette and peered up at the wall.  
  
"So is Faye really in alot of danger?" Serenity crinkled up her brow, as if Spike's question dumbfounded her. She lowered her head, tangerine strands falling in her face. She reached into a pocket that Spike hadn't noticed until then, and pulled out a set of cards. Tarot. Spike had watched gypsy at a fair on Earth read Spike's tarot cards. He couldn't remember the outcome but knew that Death was lingering over him. Serenity shuffled the cards and drew out a single wrinkled piece of paper.  
"Death." That was all she said. That was all she needed to say. She fingered the card for a moment before tucking it away in Spike's coat pocket. Spike glanced over at the pocket and puffed out a large cloud of nictotine smoke.  
"So you're saying that Faye's going to die?" Serenity placed the deck of cards back into the pocket of beige jumper dress and smiled at Spike.  
"The Death card means many things. Don't be so literal Spike." Spike leapt off the cot and stood on his knees to meet the child's height.  
"You're not real. No seven year old speaks like you. No seven year old can heal a man close to death in a matter of hours. No seven year old can predict the future."  
"What makes you think i'm only an innocent seven year old street rat?" She came within mere inches of Spike's face, her features stoic and controlled, unlike Spike, who was becoming nervous by the kid's forwardness. But what caught his attention, wasn't the fact that the child was playing mind games with him, but as she stared into his mismatched eyes, he couldn've sworn he saw a flash of cobalt take over the guiltless silver orbs. Serenity was no longer standning before him. Instead, it was his fallen angel peering at him. Julia stretched out a pale hand and graced Spike's cheek, causing the cowboy to fall over in a panic. Julia vanished and was replaced by Serenity. She still remained calm and shook her head, glancing out the star struck window.  
"Snow White is about to find the poisoned apple..."  
  
~One Week Prior~  
  
Vicious inhaled the sweet scent of blood and rum as he stood over his latest massacre. A tall red headed man proceeded to walk up beside him and unfold his wallet to deliver a large amount of woolongs to the monster. Vicious accepted the money and motioned for the crimson haired stranger to take a seat beside him.  
"You work quite well, Vicious. Now, what is it I can do for you?"  
  
"I think you have heard of the revenge Spike Spiegel has out for me." The man smiled.  
"Of course. You're vendetta with the bounty hunter is quite popular around here."  
"And you know of his comrades. The woman, the cop, the child, and the dog?" Vicious' glare remained on the table. The man nodded, and Vicious continued his offer. "I intend to kill Spike, no doubt, but it is the woman i'm interested in. Faye Valentine. Spike doesn't quite realize his predicament but the temptress has fallen for his charm. I plan on offering a postion at the Syndicate. She is more powerful than she knows and would be a great asset to crawling underneath Spike's skin."  
"So what do you want me to do?"  
"If she refuses my offer...I want you to destroy her."  
"You mean kill her?" Vicious finally lifted his head from the cold gaze he laid upon the piece of furniture. His features left everything to the imagination. One could not tell what he was thinking unless he said it out loud.  
"No. I mean destroy her. Crush her soul. Dirty her pride. Rip her heart to shreds." The man's chesnut eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Vicious nonchalantly turned his head to meet the man's surprise. It was then that an eerie grin spread across the man's lips, sealing the bounty huntress' fate. "Nobody refuses my offers. No one."  
  
~Present~  
  
Spike got up to leave the musty apartment. Serenity had done enough damage that he couldn't repair without a stiff drink, and he headed out to the nearest bar. Serenity followed his movements with a childish glare and blocked the lanky man at the half broken doorway. Her tiny arms outstretched in the opening, almost unable to stop the bounty hunter from leaving.  
"I can't let you leave unless you promise to go after Faye!!" Tears were threatening a downpour.  
"I can't make promises I can't keep." He gently pushed Serenity out of his way and made his way to the streets of Mars.  
  
Faye paced back and forth in front of the saloon that Jet had wanted to meet her at. It was located by a harbor and she expected the Bebop to descend at any moment. Out of frustration, she sat herself on a nearby barrel. Today just hadn't been her day. The sun was already starting to set as millions of poked through the sky. 'Damn, Mars sure does take a long time to turn to nightfall.' And it was true. The planet was known for it. In some places, night would be forming while in other spots, the sun was just beginning to set. She had left Spike's body at night. Little did she know that she would see it again at sunset...  
  
Spike paused before the open harbor and watched the sun slowly fall down the horizon. Man how he hated the late sunsets. His gut still throbbed with the warning Serenity had given him, but he quickly shook it off. Faye was to be stripped from his mind. She could handle herself. But why did he have the nagging feeling that he wanted to play the hero to the damsel in distress? He chuckled at the thought of Faye portraying the wilting flower, locked in an ominous castle, only to have the dashing martial artist prince come to her rescue in the Swordfish. He pushed his hands deep into his pockets and continued his gaze upon the water. It wasn't until he heard the featherlight gasp, and peer into those emerald green eyes, did the reality of saving Faye become real to him. Faye. She was on her knees and crying....for him. That was all it took. He began a light pace to search for his former companion.  
  
Faye stretched her limber limbs towards the sky and glanced down at her watch. Jet was late. She decided right then and there that today deserved a drink. However, ever store in town was mysteriously closing down like there was going to be an old fashioned duel at sundown. Faye shrugged and continued down an alleyway. She thought she had learned her lesson from previous walks down dark alleys, but each time proved to be adventurous. She was in an alley the first time Gren had saved her. This time proved to be no different. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a small movement behind a trashcan and pulled her gun on the mysterious figure. A tiny girl, no older than seven cause Faye to draw back her weapon. She was gorgeous. With her titian colored hair, fair skin, and pearly eyes, she was a sight from heaven.  
"Hey kid. You lookin' for someone?" The child's startled expression turned into a bright smile as she flung her small arms around Faye's leg.  
"Snow White! You're alive!!" Faye quirked a finely plucked eyebrow and stared on at the kid in awe.  
"Wha?! What are you talking about!!"  
"I should've believed Spike! I should've known you could handle yourself!!"  
"Spike?"  
*Maybe this is the one I won't wake up from.  
...  
Just messin' with your head. Would you miss me if I left?  
Lunkhead* Spike's bean pole form thrashed around in her mind like an angry cat. She grasped the child by her shoulders, careful not to hurt her or scare her away. "How do you know Spike?!"  
The girl's pouty pink lips formed an excited smile.  
"I saved him!! I'm Serenity!!"  
"Huh?!" Before the girl could answer, a tiny bullet buzzed by, grazing Faye's side and Serenity's cheek. Blood trickled down Faye's thigh and she quickly snatched the child up into her arms and began to run. Serenity clasped onto Faye's shoulders and buried her head into the impeccable skin. Bullets were flyting everywhere, and Faye was desperately trying to handle a gun and a kid. They rounded the corner just as another bullet bounced off the stone wall. Faye eagerly pulled down the staircase to a fire escape pushed Serenity up onto the metal stairs.  
"Go hide up there. Don't come down until it's quiet, or you see Spike."  
"So you believe me?" Faye pondered the question and nodded. Serenity yanked on Faye's arm beofre she was able to leave. "Don't take the poison apple, Snow White..." Faye brushed a hand through the little girl's hair and closed the fire escape, locking Serenity in a metal cage. She backed up in to the tightest corner and prayed for the cowboy to find them in time.  
  
Faye haunched behind a dumpster, ignoring the trail her blood had left. She checked her ammunition and found one bullet hiding amongst the weapon. Damn that Spike for making her use up almost all her ammo to keep him to stay. Heavy footsteps created a large thud agaisnt the concrete. Faye held her breath in hopes that the man couldn't find her. Her apple eyes widened as the footsteps stopped beside the huge trashcan. Effortlessly, the dumpster was knocked into Faye, causing the vixen to crash against the wall. Before she could realign her vision, she was thrown to the opposite wall like a ragdoll. She could feel a rib or two crack and she doubled over from the lightning quick pain. A shadow loomed over and raised her chin up to meet his face. She was able to make out the red hair, and the large frame and choked out his name.  
"Chuck...Suki..moto?" She was answered by harsh blow to the head, knocking her renderless. Serenity gasped as the man she called Chuck Sukimoto heaved Faye's frail figure over his shoulder and carried her off. She buried her head into her jumper and cried. Spike had failed to rescue her fairy tale and now she feared he would be too late.  
"Please don't take the poison apple, Snow White."  
  
Faye opened one eye and winced as pain overtook her. Where was she? She scanned the dark room and found herself tied to a wooden chair. She desperately tried to pry her hands from the ropes but to no avail. She was stuck there for awhile. A light flickered on and Faye found that she wasn't alone. Another woman, about the same age, sporting long ebony hair and equally black eyes sat across from her. She, however, wasn't tied up and smiled at Faye through heavily glossed lips.  
"I see you've awoken." Faye's eyes darted to the man who had captured her. Chuck Sukimoto.  
"What do you want with me?"  
"It's nothing personal. I'm just keeping my part of a deal."  
"What deal?"  
"That's for me to know." He walked over to the other female, and wrapped a seductive arm around her waist. Beside them, lay a table with a bowl of fruit. Chuck Sukimoto picked out a blood red apple and fed the woman. She licked the juices from her lip and smiled devilishly up at him. Sukimoto grinned and played with her raven hair. Before Faye knew it, the woman began to scream hysterically and fell to her knees, her olive skinned arms wrapping around her torso. Sweat droplets formed over her skin and glared at the snickering man beside her.  
"What did you do to me?!"  
"Does it hurt? Let me make it better for you..." He pulled out a pistol and shot the woman between her onyx eyes. Faye screamed and looked away from the fallen female. Blood splattered on her legs but she didn't notice. Sukimoto squeezed Faye's ivory cheeks together and looked down at her. "THAT is just a preview of what will happen to you..." With that said, Sukimoto turned and left Faye with a corpse and her thoughts. She suddenly became a ghostly white at her realization.  
"Poison apple....oh god..." 


	11. Son Of A Preacherman

Anyway, I got hit with the magic lightbulb again and decided to introduce a new character. Even though the title has the phrase 'Preacherman', don't think for one moment that this guy is holy. Although he has holy ties...okay, he's kinda of a preacher....you'll see what I mean....  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, but I do own Blair so keep your clammy hands to yourself1!! Just messing with your heads...  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : Son Of A Preacherman  
  
He was anything but holy. One could parade down a sidewalk, catch a glimpse of him, and automatically suspect that he was the product of the Almighty One, itself. However, he would open his parched lips and speak some rude comment, and any inention of giving a confession to the man was blown off by the insult. He was a goodhearted man, though, and would smile after rousing your temper and apologize, claiming he was only kidding. His name was Blair Whittaker, the son of the infamous Reverend Tucker Whittaker. Perhaps his father wasn't commonly known on Mars, but he consumed the havoc he induced upon the people of Earth, speaking 'words of the prophets' that Armageddon was closing on them. He hated his father for the nonsense he spoke. Armageddon was indeed upon them, but it wasn't biblical or anything of the sorts. People of Earth had brought the distruction upon themselves and were now facing the consequenes of poverity and depression. He now walked the sidewalks of Mars with a restless grin playing upon his features. He was a bit of a preacherman himself, now that he thought about it. Since he was five he had been brought up to follow in his father's footsteps - to become a man of the cloth. It was when he reached his seventeenth birthday that he realized that he never wanted to live that nightmare. Blair had watched his father give a sermon one Sunday and despised every word. The words he heard other preachers speak was nothing like the dark, gruesome gospels he father bellowed out. So, that night, he paid for a hooker and sinned all night. But he didn't sleep with the hooker, instead, he held a pistol to her head and gave her a choice - Live a life worth living that didn't include prostitution or go on with that life and die a miserable death one day. She chose the first one.  
Sure, it wasn't your typical way of changing a life, but a year later, he found the same hooker working at an institute that helped battered women. Ever since then, Blair roamed the galaxy, helping lost souls and enlightening them of their choices in life. Sometimes, he would fail, and the person would spiral into a hopless life of self destruction. But the others, would thanking him for showing them those choices. He mostly kept to himself, chainsmoking his way down the streets. By pure chance, people would fall into his arms and plead with his violet eyes for help. He would comply and then mysteriously leave when he thought his mission complete. Women were the main wanderers who walked into his life. Call it his aura. Precisely. His aura. At 26, Blair's 'aura' was quite defined. His tame, shaggy, sea blue hair almost covered his orchid eyes entirely. His features seemed to be chiseled from a rare stone, but was speckled with his recklessness, shown by the whisps of unshaven facial hair. He was tall, and very lean and dressed very well for a roamer. You could usually see Blair Whittaker in a creamy loose tuxedo shirt and neatly pressed black slacks. The jacket that set off the outfit was hung over his shoulder on hot days and clinging to his muscular frame on cooler ones. A wooden cross hung flacidly around his tanned neck. But Blair Whittaker had more secrets than the people he saved. Secrets that were meant to be kept hidden. And he intended to do just that....that is, until a violecious haired woman ran into, almost knocking the breath out of him. Maybe what surpised him most wasn't the fact that her beauty transcended that of angel, but the fact that she held a Glock 30 to his head as she panted and refused to let the blood trickling down her forehead interrupt her vision...  
  
Spike kicked a lonesome pebble down the first alley he came upon. It was eerily quiet, something Spike knew from exprience, was not a good sign. He kept his senses alert as he walked down the narrow pathway. Perhaps it was a deathwish to do so, for a found a large man towering over a small figure. The figure, though, didn't show a speck of fear. Instead, she watched the hovering man for a moment, before changing the direction of her silver eyes to Spike.  
  
Serenity had thought it was safe when she poked her head out of the metal hinges of the fire escape. But her theory proved to be wrong as brute strength grabbed her by her fine locks and hauled to the wall, only to be thrown against the brick wall. The air was completely knocked out of her as her tiny spine crashed against the hard surface. She winced in pain but did not shed a tear. She learned a long time ago that tears got you no where and that went for this time as well. Her eyes shifted as Spike's presence lingered through her mind. She didn't think he would help her, but her opinion quickly changed as his monotone voice rushed through the stone hallway.  
  
"It's not nice to pick on little kids, you know." Spike remained as cool as possible. Serenity was more trouble than she was worth but the kid had saved his life not too long ago. He may have wanted to die but she went through all that trouble....he might as well pay her back. The large man stared at Spike, his teeth gritting an uncanny rhthym.  
"She saw too much. It's my job to make sure the brat doesn't tattle." Serenity curled up into a tighter ball, making Spike's heart ache with guilt. When did he become such a softie?!  
"See, that's where we have a little problem. I know you intend to kill a helpless kid, and call me a wuss, but I don't like to see kids get hurt. Although I wouldn't recommend saying it."  
"Wuss..." The man lunged at Spike, only to gracefully dodge every movement. He caught the man with a kick, followed by a forceful punch to the face, knocking the man unconcious. He proved to be an easy opponent.  
"I warned you...." His mismatched eyes traveled back to the little girl trembling in the corner of the alley. Serenity brushed away a tear that had managed to sneak by her senses. Her bottom lip quivered for a moment as she struggled to stand. She had never been that scared. She never had a reason to. Serenity's life had been nothing but peaceful until she began to have visions of her Snow White and the mismatched Prince Charming. She stood across from Spike for a moment and peered at him before bolting towards Spike and wrapping her thin arms around his torso. She cried then for the first time in years. She was just so happy to be alive and it was because of this man. She buried her head deeper into the mangled yellow dress shirt that Spike always sported and found comfort in the hug that she recieved from the man.  
Three things. He hated three things the most : kids, animals, and women with attitude. Yet, here he was, comforting the small girl with a gentle, but sincere, hug. He couldn't help it. She was just so helpless and defenseless. No one was around to pat her head and say 'It'll be ok.' No one to be there for her. Spike evev wondered if the child ever knew what it was like to have a family. He certainly couldn't tell her how it felt but....what was he saying? Of course he knew what it was like to have a family. He didn't realize until that moment that the Bebop crew was the closest thing he had to a family. A sickening ache, worse than the previous, swallowed his stomach. He had abandoned them, just like that. Serenity wiped away her tears and wiped at her runny nose with her torn sleeve.  
"You saved me Spike Spiegel." Spike rammed his hands into his pockets.  
"Yeah, yeah. Don't expect this all the time kid. I just happened to be in the same neighborhood." Serenity's eyes brightened at his statement for some odd reason.  
"Faye brought you here!! She brought you here so you could find her!!" She pulled on his arm, unable to move the cowboy from his solid spot.  
"What are you talking about Serenity? I haven't seen Faye." Serenity tugged even harder, almost knocking herself over.  
"Then that just means you have to go save her from the mean red head so she won't eat the poison apple!!"  
"What?!" Spike was growing more confused by the second. He finally brought down his hands on Serenity's shoulders to keep the kid still. Serenity huffed in frustration.  
"You HAVE to GO SAVE Faye before she eats the apple!!!" Her cheeks were flushed with anger for the bounty hunter.  
"Okay, okay. Just chill. Who took Faye?"  
"A REDHEAD!!!"  
"A name!! A name would be nice here!" Serenity shut her eyes and searched her memory for the man's name.  
"Suk....i..moto? Yes!! That's what Snow White called him!!! Chuck!! Sukimoto!!" Spike's eyes dilated at the man's name and then resumed to a stoic coldness he hadn't shown since his showdown with Vicious. Another light tug brought him out of his bloodlust as he glanced down at the child below him. "Come on!! This way!! They went this way!" Spike proceeded to let the star crossed child lead him to where ever Sukimoto had taken Faye to.  
  
Faye sighed heavily as she struggled with her binds. Damn that Spike. If it wasn't for him and his stupid charms, they would've skipped that dumb dance and captured Sukimoto long before Spike would go waltzing off to an irrational suicide. She struggled for a moment longer before she could feel the nylon rope slip over one of her wrists. She mentally congratulated herself before loosening up the wrist. Finally! Free at last! She scanned the dark room for any kind of object she could use as a weapon to defend herself with. No gun. Dammit. No knife of any sort. Damn it to hell. She would have to rely on her skills to get out of this one. She quickly hid behind the large door as the lock clicked, revealing an intruder. She darted behind him, but was caught off guard by Sukimoto's own swiftness. He grabbed for her arm, only to be kicked in the groin. He retailiated fasted than Faye thought possible as he backhanded her, his large gold ring catching her head. She could feel blood seep through her flesh but shook it off and answered the man with her own punch, breaking a perfectly trimmed nail. He would pay dearly for that one. While Sukimoto coped with the blow, he failed to see the pale leg swinging up to his face in time to block it. He fell to the ground in pain. Faye chose that moment to search for gun that he had so meticiously stolen from her. She yelled out in exicitment as her Glock 30 was returned to her hands. She peered carefully into the hallway. Her vision began to blur from exhaustion and blood loss. Silently, she scampered out of the room and ran to the nearest exit. Lady Luck must've been on her side that day, for she only had to worry about one guard, who lay sleeping by the exit. She busted through the doors and searched for someone to be her eyes for a moment.  
She pushed by several people before spotting a man with a cross. A cross only meant one thing to Faye : religion. Ad men of religion were ones to be trusted, most of the time. She pressed the cool metal of her Glock to his head and let go of the safety. He raised his hands to show he was unarmed and willing to comply. At least he knew when he was beaten. Faye glared at him in desperation.  
"Where am I?"  
"Mars. Look, you're bleeding and in obvious need -"  
"Shut up!! Do you have a zip craft?" Her crimson dipped fingers shook around the gun. She was nervous and forlorn, but most of all, scared to death. Blair shook his head, cobalt strands of hair shading his eyes, but not the coy grin he had formed.  
"But I know where I can get one."  
"Good. Take me to the Be-" Bullets whizzed past her ear and she pushed the man aside, taking aim at her assailants. There were too many. Funny, but she couldn't remember that many men inside. She leaned against the corner of the wall and shot at the men. She expected more ringing shots but heard only grunts and two single gunshots. Dominating over her stood the blue haired man who was supposed to whicking her away to the Bebop. His arm was extended and at the end stood a smoking barrel. Although, Fae couldn't tell where the origin of the smoke was - his mouth or the pistol that came from no where. She stood up herself and peered around the corner. The stranger hadn't let his shooting arm fall, meaning there was still another person standing and they seemed dangerous to him. His violet eyes narrowed towards the intruder as a smirk curled among the corners of his lips. Faye grasped the wall for support and glanced over at the man. Slowly, her jaded eyes traveled up the lanky form to the opposing chesnut eyes to the wild green mane of hair. His arm was level with her lifesaver and both seemed to be in a draw. Her dehydrated lips searched for some smart ass comment to catch the cowboy's attention, but the only she could muster was his name. It was powerful enough.  
"Spike..." She collapsed right there, but Blair managed to catch her before she hit the pavement. His smirk was erased from his face and was now sporting a concerned frown. Spike grimaced as his foe's hands entertwined with Faye's frail form. She was battered and Spike regretted not getting there sooner. Serenity was still behind him, her tiny nails hanging on to the back of his jacket.  
"Let her go!" Blair didn't flinch.  
"She came to me Spiegel."  
"Don't start that gospel bullshit with me Preacherman!" Blair looked away at the mention of his former nickname. It was one he wanted to forget.  
  
"Why are you even here? Last I heard, you and Vicious had battled to the death."  
"I see news travels fast. Let's just say that I was bestowed with a guardian angel." Spike could feel Serenity surpress a giggle. She was obviously glad about the way he had acknowledged her. Blair shrugged, adjusting the fallen vixen in his arms.  
"So I see. It's a shame you let the first one get shot in the back." His statement was simple but it held more venom than any snakebite and Spike could already feel the deadly sting spread through his heart.  
"I going to say this once and only once - let Faye go!" Blair glanced down as Faye lush eyelashes fluttered open.  
"Spike? You....you ARE alive!!" She contorted within Blair's grip. Spike didn't budge.  
"Hang on Romani...." Blair's grasp tightened as he fetched a small white orb with his free hand.  
"If she means that much to you...." He threw the orb at Spike, a white cloud forming around the crowd. Spike ran forth towards the area where he last saw Faye but began to gag as the smoke overtook his lungs.  
"SPIKE!!!" It was last words spoken by Faye as a blunt object knocked her unconcious fo r the second time that day.  
  
You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you don't know what you already have until it's gone. Other times, you get something ten times better because you hung on long enough through the mistrials and errors and came out victorious. As Faye sank into an uncomfortable darkness, her mind created a still frame of the lanky figure with kelly hair that could never be controlled. He was alive and Faye was glad. Would she be this glad when they reunited? Probably not. When something that powerful intervenes with two people, it causes a deep scar that cannot be healed with modern medical technology. However, it WILL heal, with time. Time,care, and patience. Something neither Spike nor Faye are capable of. But Faye thought, no she knew, that the night she asked for Spike's return, she saw a single star fall, only to be replaced with a brighter. Maybe it was God's way of telling her her wish was granted. But stars fall for a reason, people, and this case is no different. Fallen stars can mean two things : that star has fallen from grace and will finally rest in peace, or it is taking a short break before relighting its aurora that had brightened your day from the beginning. Or if a new star has pushed its way through, maybe it's just time for the first star to simmer away and diminish for good. Whatever the reason, Faye knew she would be looking at stars for a good portion of her time for the next few nights. 


	12. Takin Care Of Business

As long as there is one person out there reading this fanfiction then i'll keep updating. If not, then what's the point, besides my weird petpeeve about having lil lightbulbs flash up in my mind with ideas and making me put them down on paper. It's a muse's curse, I swear.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or "Takin Care Of Business"  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: Takin' Care Of Business  
  
Faye groaned out loud and rubbed the raw bruise that had formed upon her skull. She was getting sick of being hit in the head. If they really wanted to shut her up, then why not use tranquillizers or sleeping pills? Why did they always have to hit her upside the head just to keep her quiet? A light humming was heard in another room. Room? Last she saw, she was in a street, looking at....Spike. Spike! He WAS alive!! She bit her lip in anticipation. Could he be coming for her now? Or did he go to the Bebop for help? And what about that little girl? Did she make it out of there alive. Faye hoped so. She would never admit it, but she had a soft spot for kids, and Serenity was no exception. Steam hovered in front of her face as the man she held at gunpoint proposed a cup of hot tea. He was a looker, no doubt, with a boyish smile and manly features. He sat across from her in what Faye guessed was the living room of his apartment. Well, it was better than a dark warehouse. Blair sighed in exhaustion. He hadn't expected Spike to be alive or even show up, for that matter. But what interested Blair the most was Spike's sudden fascination with the woman he took. Faye, is what Spike called her. He ran a worn hand through his hair and continued to smile at the nervous woman, making her shift uncomfortably.  
"Sorry about hitting you like that. But I couldn't have you screaming the entire time. I have ear drums, you know. I'd like to keep my hearing for awhile." Faye glared at him with sparkling emerald orbs.  
  
"Either that, or you didn't want Spike to trail you by the sound of my voice..." Blair rested his hand on his hands and leaned back on the loveseat. He was more casual then Faye wanted him to be. She knew how to handle heartless bastards and men like Spike, but this guy was totally different. He was warm towards her, almost like Gren had been. But Gren didn't take her hostage either.  
"I guess so. If you wanna be pessimistic about it."  
"Either way, it's a negative answer." Blair cocked his head to the side like a lost puppy. This woman was something else.  
"Depends on how you look at it. The name's Blair Whittaker." He held a hand out for proper introduction only to have Faye shun him by turning her head to the other side. Blair backed off immediately. It was one thing to have an irrated woman in your household, but it was a deathwish to have a peeved female sitting across from you. "Alrighty then. Have it your way, Faye. I was just trying to be friendly."  
"If you were truly 'friendly', you would let me leave." Blair closed his violet eyes and nodded towards the ivory door. This would prove to be interesting.  
"By all means - go ahead. Last thing I need in life is to have a woman constantly showing signs of PMS living with me. I always saw myself shacked up with a brunette anyway." Faye flipped her hair and began to walk towards the door of freedom. Her hand had just brushed the cool metal of the doorknob when Blair whispery voice boom in her ears. "But...take into mind. You don't know where you are, your communicator's broken, your gun ran out of bullets, and you'd be chasing after a man who wants nothing more than to die to avenge an equally dead angel." Faye paused and turned t oface Blair for the first time. He was absolutlely right. Of course, he had probably planned on being right the whole time, but his words were the truth. Blair let a cigarette and let his words sink into Faye's soul. He hadn't intended them to be so harsh but he knew Spike all to well. He knew his charms and figured that Faye had already fallen for his trap.  
  
Faye slowly walked back to the couch, a faraway look glazing over her usually vibrant jade eyes. How could she have been so reckless, letting herself fall in love with Spike? It was a foolish idea from the beginning and nothing had chanced since their first meeting. They still had their bouts and offered a helping hand to one another when possible, but she could never fill the empty void that once held Julia's love. It was an infinite black hole that Faye would fall helplessly in if she tried to fill it up. Faye wouldn't let Blair get the best of emotionally though, and pushed her ruby lips into the form of a roguish smirk.  
"And just HOW exactly do you know our ignorant Spike oh-so-well?" Blair's orchid eyes flew open and watched the woman investigate his every move. "Were ya'll partners like him and Vicious? Or did you just stalk the bastard?" Blair figured out what she was up to and decided to play along. It was best that she know a little about him before he began his own search through her mind.  
  
"Nothing of the sort, my dear Faye." Faye leaned back and crossed her legs sheepishly. She wanted to come off as seductive, not slutty.  
"So enlighten me." Blair leaned forward over the coffee table that seperated the two and looked as if he was dazing off. He sighed once before he spoke.  
"I knew Julia." Faye rested her elbow on the back of the couch and rolled her kelly eyes.  
"Who didn't?"  
"Not in that way. I mean, I wasn't in love with her or anything. She was like a sister to me."  
"Of course. How foolish of me..."  
"Do you want to know how I know Spike or are you just going to insult me all night."  
"A little of both." Blair gave her sharp look before continuing.  
"Anyway, we grew up together and even ended up in the Syndicate at the same time. It was then that I found out about Spike. He was everything she wanted...everything she needed. Spike and I talked every once and awhile and even became allies. And then one night, I got drunk, and out of habit, I told the taxi driver's Julia address. I mean, she gave me an extra key and told me to use it whenever I needed to. So I walked in, expecting to find Spike laying on the couch like he did every Saturday night while he waited for Julia to get dressed for whatever he had planned that night. Only, this time, Spike wasn't on the couch. So I figured that the bed was free if they weren't there. I made my way up the stairs, only to find Vicious laying in bed with my best friend. I couldn't believe it. Julia was the biggest preacher of loyalty and here she was cheating?! I was quickly sobered up and sat down on the couch. An hour later Julia came downstairs for a drink of water. She must've sensed my uneasiness for she explained that Spike left without a word to no one. We would later find out it was to leave the Syndicate."  
"That's it?!" Faye was yearning for a dramatic soap opera like story to unfold before her but only got a cheesy cable movie. "The way Spike looked at you, you would think you tried to kill him or something." Faye laughed nervously.  
"I did, once." Faye automatically stopped laughing, enthralled with the man already.  
"He called you 'Preacherman'. Did that have something to do with it?"  
  
"Yes. I was an assassin for the Red Dragon Syndicate. Their executioner. I was known for being silent, yet leaving a cryptic Biblical message engraved upon their body to show whomever it was the Syndicate was showing that they meant business. They sent me after Spike but I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him. Weird. I could kill innocent children, women, and animals. But I couldn't kill a man who used to be just like me. Instead, I did the total opposite and told him about Vicious' plan to kill him. I then told him of my plans to take Julia and run. He wasn't too pleased with that. Julia was gone before either of us could take her."  
"So Spike thinks that you and Vicious was conspiring against him?"  
"Exactly that. I was, but not for long."  
"I see." Faye relaxed a little bit more, now that she knew whom she was dealing with. Everything seemed to make more sense now. "Sounds like Spike alright. You mess up once and you're on his most wanted list." Her eyes zipped over to Blair when he heard him chuckle.  
"It's late. Get some sleep." He got up and grabbed for a dark coat hanging by the door. He hesitated beside the door and peered over at the surprised Faye. She was indeed something else. Most people would have freaked by now over his former life.  
"I'm going out. I don't expect you to be here when I get back, but you can have the bed if you stay." He smiled weakly and turned the knob to leave. Blair almost fell over at the sight before him. At his feet, lay a scrawny, redheaded girl that he knew so well. He sighed before kicking at the small dog that always followed her around. Surely, he could've been blessed with an elderly couple, or an exotic temptress that just happened to be innocent, or even a small family. But no, he was cursed with a thirteen year old genius that seemed to be infatuated with exprimenting with baked goods.  
"What do you want this time?"  
"Sugar sugar of the sweet!!"  
"How much this time?"  
"One cuppy cup cup!!" She held her finger out to further accentuate her comand. Blair closed the door slightly and made his way to the kitchen to fetch the girl's damn sugar. Faye was too much in a daze to notice the amber eyes peeking inside the small apartment and widening at the violet strands, only to be pushed out with a cup of sugar. "Faye-Faye...?" It was like slow motion. She make out the purple hair, and then the pale skin, but she knew it was her idol when she spotted the yellow attire. What was her Faye-Faye doing in a place like this? Blair shoved her to her own apartment, scolding her along the way.  
"Next time, but your own sugar." She nodded, wondering why her handsome neighbor was harboring Faye in his humble abode.  
  
Faye sat on the couch in awe. She heard Blair's words as he left but didn't pay much attention to them. He had killed innocent people. He didn't seem like the person that would harm a fly, yet he had spoken memories that he preferred to be forgotten. Innocents.Did Spike do the same? Was Spike capable of killing children and women? A feathery knock woke Faye up from her day dreaming state and she peeked out of the small peep hole that every apartment came equipped with. She could see nobody but the knocking persisted.  
"Who is it?"  
"Ku-ku-kachoo!! It IS you!!"  
"Yeah, i'm me. Who is this?!"  
"Why fiddle dee dee, Faye Faye!! It's me!! It's Edward!!!" Faye gasped and swung open the door to reveal a discombobulated Ed fall forward with an even more disoriented Ein by her side. Faye dashed by the genius hacker's side and hugged her.  
"Ed!! How did you....Nevermind. What am I saying?! I'm just glad you're here! I need you to find out where I am and locate the Bebop."  
"Why Faye-Faye! You're in the Overture Apartments on the East side of Mars!! And the Bebop....hmmm. I shall find them!!!" Ed yanked Faye's hand and proceeded to her apartment.  
  
Spike collapsed against the ancient yellow couch and felt a small lump of human plop beside him. Serenity. She was a blessing and a curse all rolled into one. She saved his life made his life miserable in the same breath. It took an amazing person to perform such a feat and Serenity did it with grace and patience. Why she followed Spike, he had no idea. One minute he was walking towards the Bebop and the next he heard the small pitter patter of a child's feet skipping behind him. In all reality, he didn't mind quite that much. She said little or no words and would only talk when talked to. He figured that she was a tad bit po'ed about Spike's failure to save her precious Faye. What was her infatuation with the hustler anyway? But Spike had to admit himself, that he missed the company of Poker Alice and even felt a bit guilty at the fact that he couldn't save her. The guilt took up a big part of his mind. All he kept seeing was Faye reaching out towards him and smoke clouding his vision. He could still hear his name being screamed followed by a soft grunt. She had wanted him to save her and he couldn't. He failed her.  
"You're back?" Jet walked out of the kitchen in his apron and stared, bewildered, at Spike. His eyes then darted to the little girl beside him. "And you have a kid?!"  
"I baragained for a warmer welcome and don't think for one moment that she's mine. I can't get rid of her."  
"Not another Ed..." Jet smacked his forehead in memory of how Ed popped into everyone's lives.  
"Ohhh no. Not quite a genius. More like.....gifted."  
"She's a good singer?"  
"More like a healer and a psychic." Jet rubbed his bearded chin and sat down across from the couple.  
"You don't say. Faye's goin to be more surprised that you're alive. I mean, she practically went berserk after you left." Spike lowered his head and lit a cigarette.  
"Faye's not coming back."  
"What?! Why not?"  
"Because I let her get kidnapped by the most ruthless assassin who ever walked on Mars."  
"Ye of little faith. Wow Spike, that confession was real chivalrous of you. Too bad I made it away from him to hear it." Jet, Spike, and Serenity all glanced up to see a worn Faye walk down the stairs to the lounge area. Spike's mismatched eye followed her every move, amazed that there wasn't wound on her besides her bloody forehead and bruised skull. She walked by the trio in her absolute glory, her strut feminine and tempting to even the most innocent of men. She motioned her head back to the doorway, violet hair flipping wildly. "Oh, yeah. I brought a friend."  
"WOOHOOOO hehehehehe wheeeeeee!!!" Ed flew into the lounge area, arms buzzing about her and the same smile pasted upon the blush the would never leave her cheeks. However, Radical Ed paused infront of the peach haired child sitting before and scanned over her tiny form. "You replaced Ed?" Her amber orbs glazed over with unshed tears. Serenity cleared her throat, a bright grin playing on her lips.  
"I was sent here to help. That's all. I'll be leaving as soon as my mission is done." Serenity's smile was so sincere that Ed couldn't help but return the same gesture.  
"In that case, i'm Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the fourth. Twice removed!" Serenity bit her bottom lip from nerves. She wasn't used to this kind of excitement.  
"Umm...Serenity." Faye brought her hand to her hip at the end of the small reunion/introduction and acknowledged the fact that she was heading off to bed. Spike secretly followed behind, concealing himself in the shadows. As soon as Faye hit the bed however, Spike was knocking on her door, endowed with medicinal supplies, which just so happened to include a bottle of whiskey. Faye sat straight up in bed, partially agitated that she wouldn't be getting any rest for the next few days.  
"Thought i'd fix you up. You got pretty roughed up today."  
"Nothing a band aid won't fix." Spike sat down beside her on the small cot that Jet liked to call a bed and began his nursing skills on Faye. She winced slightly when he put pressure on her cut, but besides that, she took it like a woman.  
"So what all did he tell you?"  
"Who?"  
"Preacherman." Faye rested her head on the nearest pillow and pulled her legs up beside Spike. His focus was on one thing, although her legs happened to create an aversion for a moment.  
"Don't call him that. He's a changed man Spike."  
"You don't know him well enough to say that."  
"I could see it in his eyes. Just like I see it in yours." He laid down beside and drew his hands up behind his head. Now would be a good time for a cigarette, but he didn't want to ruin the conversation by filling the room up with second hand smoke.  
"And what exactly do you see when you look in my eyes."  
"Fear. Admiration. Confusion. Stubborness."  
"Damn you're good." Faye sighed, almost too loudly. She couldn't take being this close to the cowboy without breaking down her recent walls.  
"So you really went berserk after I left." He expected, no wanted, a smartass, sassy answer from the woman next to him. But she turned towards him with a scrunched up brow and quivering lips.  
"How can you ask such a question?! I almost broke down to you and revealed the some of my deepest secrets!! And you still walked out on me, on us! The Bebop crew!! When I got my memory back, I remember a conversation with my best friend. 'Home is where the heart is' he said. And I believe him. You took away my home. YOU were my home Spike." Her voice softened a bit at the last remark.  
"What do you want from me?"  
"I don't know what I want. I wanted you back, and I got you. But it's like you're not really here. I want you back."  
"You never had me." His words were cold and sent chills throughout Faye's body.  
"I know. You never gave yourself to me to let me consider you mine." She brought her knees up to her chest, only to be grabbed from behind; arms entertwining around her waist. She gasped as Spike's warm breath radiated off her neck.  
"I was scared. I have never been that scared. To know what that man was capable of and not knowing if he would do the same to you. It scared me."  
"I'm still here."  
"I may not be that lucky next time." His grip tightened on Faye.  
"Who says there will be a next time?" Spike's voice caught in his throat as he spoke the next question.  
"Faye, can I keep you?" Faye's emerald orbs squashed together in bliss. How long had she waited for that question? She turned in Spike's firm embrace and buried her face into his bloodied shirt.  
"Spike, you already had me. You were just too dumb to know it." Together, they fell upon the bed in the dark and fell asleep in each other's arms.  
  
"You sleep like this all the time?" Serenity watched the teenage hacker curl up into a tight ball next to the Corgi on the stairway. She received a sleepy nod and wide yawn. Serenity shook her head and curled up beside the infamous Ed.  
  
Faye had only been alseep for a few moments when Spike's grip on her shifted to her shoulders. Incoherent mumblings ran off his lips and Faye strained to make out a single sentence. He squeezed her shoulders once, causing Faye to wince in pain.  
"Julia....come back to me...." Faye's eyes searched for another meaning but his demand was as clear as a bell. She succeeded in her first attempt to pry his hands from her body and wiped away a lone tear as she slid away from the flat mattress. She studied the sleeping Spike and managed a half smile.  
"Nothing's changed, has it?" She backed up a bit until her back hit the wall. Tears were now falling freely and landing on the cold metal of the Bebop. Of her home. "See ya later space cowboy."  
  
Dun dun dunnnnn. What's going to happen now? Your guess is as good as mine. By the way, I am going to be making another WHR fic and Trigun fic - if you're interested. So be watching for those! 


	13. What It Feels Like For A Girl

And so begins another chapter! And yes, Faye DOES run away...again....but it's not as angsty as you might think. And the ending paragraphs....they might be a lil random nowadays...some likey likey....some don't.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or anything by Madonna.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : What It Feels Like For A Girl  
  
Faye fidgeted with her lock pick and gave herself a mental high-five when the triumphant click allowed her to enter the apartment she had left only a few hours before. The room was still dark and quiet, revealing that Blair hadn't been home since her departure. Her eyes were dark fro mthe previous encounter with Spike that night and her sides ached from keeping back the unwanted tears. Everything was perfect until he mentioned that name. The name that haunted her in more ways than Spike would have thought possible. He wanted her to be Julia instead of Faye and that was something she just wasn't capable of. She couldn't morph into a blue eyed blonde bombshell at the snap of Spike's fingers. Faye quietly closed the door behind her and stalked towards the couch. She was so tired, yet she wanted to be awake for Blair's arrival. He was interesting, a breath of fresh air that Faye had been deprived of for so long. She sat herself on the worn blue couch and draped her long legs over the arm of the piece of furniture. So tired. Faye managed a good hour of being alert before she lost the fight with fatigue and drifted off to a faraway wonderland.  
  
Blair grasped the doorknob and twisted it with little force. It was unlocked. But he distinctly remembered locking the door before leaving Faye. He thought she woudl be the type of person to lock another person's door out of common courtesy before leaving but he thought wrong. Hopefully, nobody had noticed. He had dropped his keys on the kitchen counter when he noticed the pale, slender legs swinging over the arm of his couch. So she hadn't left after all. A smirk played upon his lips as he walked over to the still form. She was sleeping. His eyes danced with her slumbering figure. She looked so peaceful and calm while sleeping. The few strands of violet hair that had fluttered over her eyes gave her an almost vulnerable look to her. Her lips were parted ever so slightlty, the sound of light breathing escaping in and out, almost welcoming him, inviting him. Before Blair knew it, he was leaning over Faye's fragile form, his lips lingering on hers in the most gentle kiss he had ever bestowed upon a woman.  
  
Click.  
  
"Okay. You're right. I should have never kissed you. That was wrong. Sorry." Blair's orchid eyes were a wild haze as Faye stood up with his retreating body, her Glock 30 twisting agaisnt his skull. Okay, so he had made the lethal mistake of kissing a woman, an armed woman for that matter, with a very sick temper. And now, he was looking straight into her gun, a sign of not wanting to be touched or even kissed. But he had to admit, he didn't mind one bit getting shot after tasting Faye's sinful lips. They held a touch of tangerine, his favorite fruit, and he began to wonder if the satisfaction of another embrace like that would taste as good with the actual juices of the fruit dangling from her lips. Faye's eyes were tiny slits of sparkling green gems, anger heating them up to their full emotional potential.  
"Never without my permission." Her statement was quick but held enough sting to render a man paralyzed for a good hour or two. Blair laughed nervously and raised his arms up in defeat, agreeing with the vixen one hundred and ten percent. Faye crunched the gun harder against his head for emphasis. Blair winced under the pressure.  
"I get the point. Now could we lower your gun just a tid bit?" Faye returned her gun to the holster on her thigh and returned to the couch. "What are you still doing here anyway? I thought for sure you left." Faye chuckled in a cold manner.  
"I did. But I had to come back." Blair quirked an eyebrow and stared at the woman before him. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard that line before, he just didn't expect such a desperate line from a strong woman like Faye.  
"May I ask why?" His head was lowered enough to shadow his eyes, but his expression was calm and confused; all in the same breath. He was taken aback by Faye's seductive curves sitting in front of him, her emerald orbs buffed by unshed tears. She gripped Blair's black clad knees, nails digging into his strong flesh.  
"Look at me. What do you see?" Blair leaned down to Faye's level, violet eyes focusing on every feature.  
"I see....a strong feminine beauty. Deep green eyes filled with mystery. An innocent woman who has yet to figure out who she is or what she wants. I see....Faye." A single tear fell from Faye's cheek. Those were the most wonderful words she had heard since she last heard her father's voice. Blair wiped away the small trickle of salt water fallign from her eye and let his thumb falter on her face for a moment longer. "Why won't you let me into your mind?"  
"Because I just met you."  
"So tell me anyway."  
"What do you want to know?"  
"Everything. For instance, your childhood, your favorites." Faye smiled softly.  
"My childhood was perfection. My mother was loving and I was a Daddy's little girl. We would spend Saturdays in the park or shopping and Saturday nights watching movies. I was so happy."  
"And favorites?"  
"Name a few."  
"Hmmm.....color?"  
"Blue."  
"Food?"  
"Ummm anything sweet and bad for you."  
"Song?"  
"Is this interrogation over? I was rudely awakened and would like to get back to sleep."  
"One more. What's your full name?"  
"Faye Valentine." Blair grinned and tilted Faye's chin up to eye level. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what Blair intended to do in that position. He slowly leaned down, brushing his lips over her cheek and moving to her ear.  
"My funny Valentine. Sweet comic, Valentine. You make me smile with all my heart." His voice was so deep and so soothing..."Your looks are laughable. Unphotographable. Yet, you're my favorite work of art." Spencer used to sing that song to her when she would break up with some nameless boyfriend. She would lay in his arms, crying her little old heart out, only to find comfort in the simple tune. She wished Spike would hold and comfort her the same way. "Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth - a little weak? When you open it to speak, are you smart?" Spike. He had asked to keep her, when all he wanted was a replacement for his long lost Julia. "Don't change a hair for me. Not if you care for me. Stay little Valentine, stay. Each day is Valentine's day...." She didn't want to be a replacement.  
  
Blair watched Faye's eyes slowly give in to sleep as he wrapped his arms around her frame and carried her to the bedroom. He would not seduce her tonight for he knew she would be reluctant. Plus, Spike had yet to wake up, more than likely, and find Faye gone. Blair sat himself down on a small leather chair and tried his best to fall alseep in the presence of the velvet haired angel, but to no avail.  
  
"Spike person? Spike persooooonnnn!!" Spike squinted his eyes as the blurry form of red and amber began to take shape. Ed hovered over him, leaving a stunned Serenity in the doorway. "What are you doing in Faye- Faye's bed?" Spike had completely forgotten that he wandered in to Faye's bedroom the night before. The warmth had called to him and had taken him hostage as his thoughts flooded his mind with images of Julia laying next to him. Had he spoken her name at all. He turned over to find an embarrassed Faye hiding underneath the sheets, but found a cold imprint of where a body used to lay.  
"Ed, where's Faye?" Ed shrugged, for she thought that the cowboy held the answer to that question.  
"You're confused, Spike Spiegel." Serenity's tiny voice bumped Spike out of all drowsiness. He hadn't felt that alert until the little wonder's voice filled the room. He brought a cigarette to hip lips and prepared to light it.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You obviously have her confused with Julia." Serenity scowled at the man she saved, and who had rescued her in return and turned to leave. Ed glanced at Spike pleadingly, hoping that her found friend's accusation wasn't true. But deep down inside, she knew the truth, and got up from the ransacked bedroom. Spike dropped his head into his palms. He had said it, hadn't he? He had spoken the one sinful name in Faye's company. Was that why he couldn't find her?  
  
Ed had to literally sprint in order to catch up with Serenity, who remained focused on the lounge before her. Ed would poke her head in beside her, her cat like form brooding over the miracle worker. She was entranced by the child's looks but even enthralled with how mature she was for seven years old. The hacker had even given the healer a nickname.  
"Why is Ren-Rem so mad?"  
"Ed knows why Ren-Rem is mad."  
"Is it because of Spike person?"  
"Exactly."  
"Is it because he hurt Faye-Faye?"  
"No. It's because of him that he will lose her in the end."  
"Did Ren-Rem see that in her noggin noodle?" Serenity finally stopped in mid step, sending a dazed Edward into the walls of the Bebop. Serenity sighed.  
"There is a darker force present, Ed. A bad force but cloaked by illusion. If Spike won't lift his own illusion. Snow White will sleep forever." Spike frowned as Serenity spoke those words. He knew he had to forget about Julia and give into whatever it was he was feeling for Faye. But he couldn't. He just coudlnt' bring himself to do it.  
  
Faye yawned and stretched as sunlight poured in through the window of Blair's apartment. She smiled as rays of daybreak rained on her skin like a glowing waterfall. She turned on her side, only to meet the violet orbs of Blair Whittaker. He almost looked alseep, if Faye couldn't see the gently smile that played upon his lips. She found her heart skip a beat at the sight of that smile. He didn't move from his postion on the chair, he just stared at her, causing Faye to blush slightly.  
"You're.....amazingly gorgeous." Faye sat up and drew her knees up to her chest, upon which she rested her head on.  
"And you....are up to something." Blair stood, the blood returning to his limbs, and sprawled out next to Faye.  
"You've known me for less than 24 hours and already you know me to well. But you, Ms. Valentine, are a complete mystery to me that I have no hopes in solving." Blair lit a cigarette and peered up at the ceiling. Faye, however, was in complete awe.  
  
They have ways of doing that. Twisting words to find the right things to say in order to flatter you. And we always fall for it. Can we help it? The things they say are so kind and so unusual in the nature to be heard that we forget for a moment that it's just sugared poison. We took the candy from the strangers and are now paying the price. Maybe Faye was just desperate to hear those words from a man, or maybe she was trying to substitue Spike for just a moment. But those sugar coated words caused her heart to skip a beat and made her feel like the luckiest woman alive. As a child, she recorded herself asking if there was anyone special in her life. Define special. We all want that Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie but the fact is that not everyone is Johnny Depp. But there is that one person who thinks you are something else. That you make the world go round, the sun rise, and the stars shine. So just don't shun them. They may think that but never tell you. That doesn't mean they don't love you any less. There's a curtain hanging over them that have yet to pull open and reveal a very caring soul. In a matter of days, Spike would open the curtain to a dangerous crowd, and pray that he came out victorious in the end.  
  
Short....yes. but i'll make up it up this weekend..... 


	14. The Best Is Yet To Come

I am usually called a strong person by people who know me well. However, I have five weaknesses - four of them being men. Any movie with Bruce Willis (hence the lil tribute from Fifth Element last chapter), any movie with Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, and Jimi Hendrix......depending on my mood. Happy= Hendrix Moody= SRV. My fourth weakness is french fries. I could eat those suckers with any food. So, yea, you'll see my lil tributes to these weaknesses throughout this story.....especially that of Ol Blue Eyes.  
  
Disclaimr: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or the song 'The Best Is Yet To Come'.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays - The Best Is Yet To Come  
  
Blair shifted in his seat on the subway. It was late at night and hardly anyone was riding. The perfect time to meet a few associates for a brief meeting. Lights flickered above him as the speeding car flew on the rails, sending his surroundings into a complete blur. He laid his head upon the rattling windows in hopes of catching his breath and slowing down his racing heart that refused to catch up on the appropriate beats. It was happening again. He could hear his father's bleak words echo through his mind, warning him of the dangers of sinning. Yet he had sinned so often, he had lost count long ago. And in a few minutes, he would sin again.  
People like Blair Whittaker hide their demons deep within them. The problem with burying demons, however, is that they do not give fair warning to their extravagant entrance. The same went for Blair. On the outside, he was pure and understanding; a smile always gracing his lips and keeping you on your toes. In the inside, a life long battle wore on. A war between good and evil fighting on the battleground of his mind, heart, and soul. Every now and then, the demons would emerge from within and consume his being, just to tease him. His mind would go blank with an exotic bloodlust that he would never encounter if the demons would leave him alone. They would taunt him and make him do things, thus receiving the nickname 'Preacherman'. It was because of these demons that Blair found himself struggling day by day to keep them dormant.  
Today was no different. As Blair drifted off in the subway car, he could feel the demon tickle his mind with temptation. The temptation laid in his trigger finger twitching uncontrollably at the sight of the hand crafted pistol sleeping in its holster by his ribcage. He would beg the demon to hide for a bit longer, until the meeting was over. Then he could go home and drown the hellion with liquor, causing the little bugger to hide once more. But tonight Blair was losing his fight and grinned eerily as the sanity left his body and resurfaced as Preacherman.  
Two men awaited Blair Whittaker at the most desolate stop on Blair's schedule. They paced back forth until the subway car came to a complete stop. Their compatriot exited the train and advanced in a leisurely manner towards them. His eyes were half open, suggesting that he had taken a joyride with a newfound drug or took a field trip to the local bar. The men rolled their eyes and motioned for Blair to follow them to the darkest corner of the station. They passed a young woman toying with a toddler's shoelaces on the nearby bench. The two strangers nodded at the woman in a friendly gesture and continued their easy pace t othe corner.  
  
"Mr. Whittaker? Is the desired location of the transaction sufficient for you?" Blair's hollow eyes suddenly became more expressive, a sly simper giving off the vibe of uneasiness.  
"But of course, men. The katana for the woolongs." The men nodded and reached for a concealed package, unveiling the gleaming metal of the once fictional sword. Blair fingered the long dagger delicately, as if it would break if not handled properly. "You have no idea how much this artifact means to the Red Dragon Syndicate, let alone me."  
"No problem, Mr. Whittaker."  
"Please....don't address me formerly."  
"What would you prefer?"  
"Preacherman, of course." Blair's smile grew larger by the second as the men's dismay became more and more apparent.  
"P-Preacherman?! But we thought.....we thought he was dead." Blair unsheathed the katana that was once held so dear by his former comrade. The metal reflected light upon the men's pale faces.  
"That's what you get for thinking." In one swift motion, the two men were brought down by a lethal slash to the throat. They collapsed at Preacherman's feet in a pool of cooling blood. He stepped back before the crimson liquid could reach his shoes. The mother on the bench screamed in complete horror and heaved her crying son into her arms, trying to run away from the maniac. Blair smirked at the woman's attempt to save her and her child's life. "And just where do you think you're going?" His hungry trigger finger was eagerly fed as Blair let loose a string of bullets into the air and into the mother's back. The toddler fell to the floor, blood seeping from a newly aquired cut on his knee. He backed up into a corner like a frightened animal being hunted down by an unknown predator. Blair returned the pistol to its home and brought out the katana once more. He raised it high above his head, the metallic luster burning bright in the boy's innocent eyes.  
Some things are too horrible to ever mention. This being one of those times. Words could not describe the bloody massacre of virtue. You know the saying 'If these walls could talk'? If the walls of the station could tell you what happened that night, they would be crying and trying to convey the scene in choked sobs. They would sit before you, a glimpse of the true horror witnessed by them setting in the hollow of the eyes. They would speak of the unimaginable amount of blood that soaked the concrete that night and the Mr. Hyde that was now prowling the streets at that very moment. They would tell you of the look in his empty eyes, the inevitable lust, and the pure glee that emitted from his actions.  
  
Blair was suddenly knocked back into reality. He stared in disbelief at the corpses laying before him. The men, perhaps he could explain. Maybe self defense? These types of men were always armed. But the woman and child? He could not explain this one. Yes he could. The demon took over once again. He had thought he had it under control but was obviously proved wrong. He collapsed to his knees and grasped his head in desperation to gain control of the situation. Had he done this? His eyes darted to the tiny form in the corner bloodied and bruised by his own hands. Tears flooded Blair's orchid orbs. He was truly monster. He gathered up the katana and ran up the stairs out of tha station. He couldn't say there any longer without vomiting on the scene. He was literally sick of himself even though he couldn't remember acting out the brutal crime.  
  
Faye rested her elbows on the edge of the balcony, wind swaying through her rouge evening gown. Blair had come home only hour earlier with reddened eyes and a dazed stance. He smiled wearily at the bounty huntress before inviting her to an elegant dinner. She was now waiting patiently on the balcony in her dress and sipping champagne. It was a teenager's dream : to be swept away for a night of pure bliss. She even went so far as to pin her violet hair up, freeing a few strands where she thought it was needed. A small whistle sent a wave of relief over her as she turned to meet an auburn pin striped clad Blair, complete with the ivory fedora. Faye smiled seductively. Tonight would prve to be interesting.  
"Hey there cutes. You almost remind me of Ol Blue Eyes himself." Blair huffed with confidence.  
"What would you know of Sinatra, dollface?" Faye couldn't help but grin at the man's foolish facade.  
"So what's your reason for treating me to a night on the town?"  
"I thought we both needed it." Blair's eyes suddenly became dark and mournful. "Faye...there's something you should know ab-" Faye brushed past him and grabbed for his hand.  
"I don't care. You've treated me with the upmost respect a girl can ask for, minus the kiss from yesterday. Promise me you'll never hurt me and I will focus only on tonight and forget about every negative thing about you. I don't care what you did in the past. Tonight is tonight....not the day before or one year ago." Blair hugged the temptress around her shoulders tightly. He craved to hear those words from a woman.  
"I promise."  
  
Serenity sat in front of the machine Edward called Tomato with a serious look etched on her childish features. Ed snored quietly behind her while Ein sat beside the concentrating Serenity who was so graciously sharing a bowl of popcorn. It was barren - no salt or butter. The only seasoning was a splash of lime juice over the kernels. The face of a violet eyed, cobalt haired man glowed on the screen. Serenity crunched down on a handful of popcorn and studied the man's statistics.  
"Hmmm.....Blair Whittaker. Former Red Dragon. 6'2. Purple eyes and blue hair. Tattoo of his ranking in the Red Dragon as an assassin the only form of physical features that make him different from everyone else. Only Red Dragon to receive it. Wow..."  
"You know, I could've told you all this by n-"  
"Shushzippit!" Serenity snapped her tiny fingers shut to furthur emphasize her point. Spike sighed and rested his foot on the table that Serenity occupied with Ed's computer.  
"You're still mad at me for letting Faye go, aren't you." Serenity remained glued to the screen searching for more information on the reverend's son.  
"Uh-huh." Spike crossed his arms over his chest. Guilt was still ringing in his ears and he honestly thought an apology was instore for Faye. He just couldn't swallow his pride. With Serenity though, there was no winning or using his charms to slide by. It was her way or the silent treatment. So maybe she wasn't ENTIRELY quiet but she refused to say more than two words at a time. This included brushing off his snide remarks of know-it-all-ism and trying to help out Faye herself. Perhaps this is what drove Spike to that edge. Having Faye angry at him was one thing. He had handled that before. But this child, this miracle worker, was a whole new story. She was wiser than any Spirit Guide yet was compelled to her childish nature. Spike stood up and threw his jacket over his shoulder.  
"I'm going to go bring Faye back." Serenity barely gave Spike a second glance.  
"Yep." She stuffed another handful of popcorn into her mouth as Spike left, leaving the most seasoned popcorn at the bottom for the intelligent Corgi.  
  
"YIPPEE-KY-YAY!!!" Faye swung the long glass of wine in the air as she twirled atop the vacant building Blair had ended the night with like a child dancing in an endless summer. She was out of breath from laughing so hard and her sides ached from a new kind of pain. She was actually enjoying her night out on the town. She wasn't hunting bounties or searching for her past or running after a dream that ceased to end. Spike. She shook her head and took another sip of the smooth liquid. She'd be damned if she let her mind wander to that lunkhead tonight. With the most graceful balance that most tipsy women couldn't top, Faye traced the edge of the building with her petite feet. "This is so much fun." Blair was dancing below her, a bottle of the same wine locked in his left hand. The bottle was quite full incidently. But he was having the most fun he'd had in years. He began to yell out less than smooth lyrics of a familiar song as he held Faye's hand and walked her around the rooftop. She laughed whole- heartedly, the five glasses of wine beginning to take full effect. "Blair, you sing like a jackass." Blair's eyebrow twitched as he smiled coyly.  
"Is that so, Ms. Valentine?" She nodded like a giddy school girl and dropped the cheap glass, shattering around her ankles, as Blair plucked her from the edge and held her in a seductive pose on his leg. His hand moved to the small of her back as the other set down the wine bottle and wrapped around her pale hand. Together, they moved as one to a silent beat. He dipped her once before serenading the vixen off her toes. "Wait till the warm-up is underway, wait till out lips have met." He softly brushed his lips on her own, grazing them with his hushed song in a teasing motion. "Wait till you see that sunshine day, You ain't seen nothin' yet. The best is yet to come and babe won't that be fine? The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine. " He swooped her low and brought her back up to his level. Faye was indeed sober now, reveling in the close dance. Blair's voice raised an octave as he twirled her about his own form. "Come the day you're mine. I'm gonna teach you to fly. We've only tasted the wine. We're gonna drain the cup dry. Wait till your charms are right for these arms to surround. You think you've flown before but you ain't left the ground." He then brought her close, so close that he could almost taste the strawberry wine on her lips. He sucked in his breath and held it there for a moment. What came out after that would melt the coldest heart. In the most soothing, seductive voice, Blair chirped," The best is yet to come and babe won't that be fine? The best is yet to come, come....the day you're mine." With the spell cast, Blair leaned in for a kiss, only to be accepted this time by Faye's own.  
  
Spike gawked at the figures dancing high above him. They were but shadows yet he knew whom the curves belonged to - Faye. Surprise turned into anger and then into worry. Did she not know whom she was dancing with?! It was Blair Whittaker, the Preacherman! How could she? And not even? Spike's mind stuttered for a few moments before registering the fact that Faye had run to Blair after her little run in with the ghost from Spike's past. Part of him understood her confusion. How could she compete with a ghost? Or better yet, why did she have to?  
  
Serenity continued to type away at the tiny keyboard. Her eyes were now glazed over with debility. She had been searching every corner of the galaxy for more information on the guy, just so she could end the plague of visions in her mind. She was continuously watching Faye fall deeper under the spell and couldn't do a thing about it. She bit her bottom lip and pouted. She knew that face. The rugged features of the man she had once saved, only to witness the evil within him.  
  
Flashback  
  
Blair winced in pain as Serenity stood over him with a smile. She hushed him and warned him that if he interfered now, the healing wouldn't work and he would die from his wound. Blair thrashed around, sweat dripping from his brow. He was trying desperately to leave Serenity's presence. The child wasn't a child then, yet she could see everything.  
"Please, you have to be still!" She hovered over him, her arms barely able to keep him still. The man continued to thrash about it, screaming in the most horrific agony she had ever heard. The teenager pulled him close to her, trying to comfort him as much as possible. He managed to calm down.  
"Who...who are you?"  
"Julia." Blair choked out in pain as the blonde beauty stroked his hair. Neither could be older than fourteen.  
"Are you a miracle worker?"  
"Hm. No. Just really good at bandaging up wounded men." END  
  
Serenity blushed at the memory. It was the day she saved Spike, that she began to have the visions of Faye. The child was always able to see things, just never that clearly. And the healing was a natural gift, something she was born with. She fell back on the couch and sighed heavily. She was indeed tired. Tired from the searching, tired of the visions, tired of the blue eyed ghost that never left her alone. 


	15. Smooth Criminal

All will be revealed in due time. Have ye of little faith in what i'm doing. I may sound confusing at first but it will all come together. As of now, i'm sitting in front of my screen with a brunette afro that I didn't think was possible, I sound like a forty year old smoker, and a spider on the wall is silently taunting me. I swear those eight legged monsters stalk me. They're just waiting for me to scr- AHH! HE MOVED! WHERE'S MY SHOE?!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop. Nor do I own any of the music that I use for these stories.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays - Smooth Criminal  
  
Faye exhaled an enormous amount of second hand smoke as she lay wrapped up in the arms of a man whom she was truly falling head over heels for. Literally. The night before, after the most romantic evening of her life, she managed to slip on her dress and fall on her rear, ankles in the air. Blair didn't laugh. He smiled, but didn't laugh. For Faye, it was a dream come true. For the first time since Spencer, she could be close to a man and not feel embarrassment or vulnerable. She felt comfortable, like it was natural for her to be laying next to Blair. There were still alot of questions she wanted to ask him, but for right now, she was intoxicated with a sense of pure bliss that she hadn't felt since...since never.  
Her mind kept nagging at her though. Images of Spike tumbled throughout her brain, and even in this convivial state, she pictured and wished that it had been Spike wooing her the night before and serenading her into a forbidden paradise that a woman had been to in a long time. She wanted to heal Spike but ended being touched by one of his former friends. Blair was another Vicious to Spike and Faye knew the inevitable. Spike would come looking for one or the other or even both in the next few days. If there was one thing that Faye knew Spike hated, it was fact the fact that he didn't like his personal things taken from him. He was very possessive, even if he went about it with a lazy attiutude and an equally lazy smirk. Faye pulled at her bottom lip. Was that all she was to the cowboy? A personal toy? Something to play with when he got lonely? She would find out sooner than planned.  
A soft movement pushed Faye back into reality as Blair nudged his cheek into Faye's bare shoulder. She didn't regret the night before. Blair had been gentle with her, careful not to break a treasured doll within his grip. His kisses; passionate and needing. His touch; soft and full of emotion. The feeling of his lips still brought chills to her skin. They could make a nun drunk for more. Faye had felt secure in his arms, as if Blair would shield her from every evil on Earth. He was an angel sent to her to wake her up from her own neverending dream. Blair moaned softly as Faye brushed her hand through his cobalt hair.  
  
"Good morning Mr. Whittaker." Blair smirked and grabbed for Faye's cigarette and took a small drag. He stared off into nothingness for a moment, sending Faye into a state of panic. Did he regret last night? "Blair?"  
  
"Come away with me Faye. Let's get out of here and never look back." Faye shot up from bed, very aware of the situation for the first time in days. Sure this was a teenage girl's fantasy, to wake up next to the most intriguing and handsome man eyes could ever lay upon, but Faye was not one to jump off a cliff with the devil just because he looked good and was even better in bed.  
"What?! Are you serious?" Blair sat up on the mattress and let his shaggy indigo locks shade his violet eyes.  
"Dead serious, my dear Faye. I want to get out of this place. Away from these people. But I want you to come with me. I already have a ship to get us away. All I need is you." Faye's eyebrow scrunched up against her forehead. No one had ever asked her that before.  
"Blair....this is a big step for me. I...I need some time to think about it."  
"I leave in two days. If you're not back then i'll know which road you chose. But Faye, know this. I would have asked you if I didn't love you for you." The final words gave a small sting in her heart. She knew he was referring to Spike. But the weight was lifted from her shoulders as he said the one small word : love. It was simple enough, but it held so many meanings. Faye lifted her worn out body from the ravaged cotton sheets and stretched. The sun seemed to stretch along with her linger limbs through the endless sky. Why couldn't every day be like this for her. But she had forty eight hours to decide if this is what she truly wanted. She picked up her things, took a quick a shower, and with a small wave, Faye wandered back to the Bebop to see where her fate truly laid.  
  
Spike had heard the Redtail enter the hanger. The only question: was Faye here to say welcome back or goodbye? He waited for a moment or two for the sound of a sliding door and when he didn't here the smooth noise of metal against metal, Spike decided to venture out and check for the tempting vixen. And there she was, in all her blazing glory, from her yellow jumpsuit to her violet tresses blowing in the harbor winds. It was such a scene like this that kept the knot tied in Spike's throat. A confused look was written over her face. She was so easy to read sometimes. Dammit. Why couldn't he just apologize and go on with the petty fights and the senseless arguing? He missed that terribly. No, he just had to hook Faye and string her along like some second hand beauty. What was he thinking? Faye was far from second hand and far from being hooked. She had proved last night that her hook was sharper than Spike's and could catch any fish in the sea, and finding the most dangerous breed -Blair.  
  
Faye had landed the Redtail and stepped out in a daze. Both the Hammerhead and the Swordfish were visible in the hangar as the Bebop floated among the soft waves of the harbor. The squeaky giggles of Serenity and Ed and the annoyed grunts of Jet were clearly heard on a nearby dock. The former cop wrestled with a large fish as Edward and Serenity cheered him on, creating a tangled maze of fishing line throughtout the trio. Faye couldn't help but smirk to herself. Pro: she had made lifelong companions on the Bebop. Jet was like a father to her, always watching her back and lecturing her out of love and consideration, whether he would admit caring for the woman or not. Ed was like the little sister Faye never had. She had been an only child her whole life and now she was able to share beauty secrets and clothes and advice to a child in perfect awe. The small sound of shoes scraping agaisnt metal knocked Faye out of that daze. She hadn't even noticed that she hadn't left the small outside ledge that usually led zipcrafts to the stars. Standing before her was Spike. Con: she had fallen for a comrade and had yet to be picked back up from her infatuation. That's right. She had to remind herself that it was a one sided love. Both figures stood in silence, in a fixed languor. It was Faye who pulled her walls back up and flipped her hair over her shoulder with a sly simper.  
"I expected a warm welcome, but it seems that men are only capable of giving the cold shoulder these days." Spike moved forward once step. He didn't want to risk getting too close to Faye and have his senses shut down on him.  
"Why'd you come back?"  
"I'm not accepted here anymore? You forget, I pull my weight around here also." She whipped out a cigarette to calm her nerves that had chosen that moment to rage out of control.  
"You know what I mean. I saw you dancing with Blair last night. I even saw the kiss." Faye's mossy eyes darted to the opposite direction to avoid contact with the mismatched orbs. She hadn't meant... Faye suddenly calmed. It was becoming so clear now, as if a faded picture was now coming into focus and showing Faye the exact path to take. She had never experience true nirvana until that moment.  
"You wanna get out of here? C'mon."  
  
Blair hummed softly as he threw another shirt in the suitcase. His hopes were high that Faye would return and run away with him. Faye. She was nothing like he had ever seen or felt. He was usually cold with women, for they needed him more then he needed them. But he yearned for Faye day and night. It was a neverending hunger that ceased to let him be full for the time being. Blair was so wrapped up that he didn't hear the click of his door opening or the pitter patter of feet raining across his floor or even the loud ping of a tranquilizer dart making impact with his flesh.  
  
Faye climbed up on the hood of a rusted convertible. Spike followed her own movement and sat by her. They didn't exactly know where they were or how they got there or how they would get back but it was peaceful and there would be no interruptions from hacking teenagers or anal bonsai caretakers. Faye gawked at the seaside sunset. Had she been traveling all day? It was amazing how time flew on Mars.  
"You didn't answer my question." Spike's cool, monotone voice almost threw Faye off guard.  
"What was the question?"  
"Why did you come back?"  
"To say goodbye." The words rolled right off Faye's tounge like a rare wine. Spike was completely taken aback. he had not expected that answer.  
"What?!" Faye chuckled to herself.  
"Were you awaiting a different answer?" Spike lowered his head in shame. Perhaps he had. A declaration of love, maybe? Or even a heartfelt speech of companionship and what he and the crew meant to her. Instead, he was receiving a sharp goodbye that sent worse aches through his body than any weapon could ever accomplish. Faye sighed. Why did it have to be so hard? "Blair....he asked me....to go away with him. And i've decided to take him on his offer." Spike bit his lip, not even feeling the small sting of blood escaping the small gash he created. He was falling off an unknown edge. He hopped off the car and clutched Faye by her shoulders. His grip was firm and began to turn her skin a light rose.  
"Do you WANT to die or something?! Blair is not right in the head, Faye!! He's dangerous!! At any moment they could turn that switch on!!" Faye peered up at the bounty hunter.  
"What switch?" He had said too much to back down now.  
"The Syndicate. Blair was a project of their's. They wanted to make the perfect killing macine. Void of any emotion and completely loyal. But it backfired. Sure, Blair was loyal but the chip they inserted....it...messed with his brain. Fucked him up. Created some kind of blood lust....a split personality if you will. The moment they want to play around with him or bring their good ol monster back, they simply flip a switch and Blair goes on a killing spree." Spike finally released her and she fell limp upon the rusted car.  
"He can fight it."  
"You're blind."  
"You're one to talk."  
"I don't want you to go." Faye's vision became clouded with hot tears. She pounded her fist against the eroded metal.  
"Dammit Spike! Don't do this to me! Not now! Do you have any how idea how hard this was for me?! Do you really think I WANT to leave everyone behind. You all were the closest thing I had to a family!!"  
"Then why leave?!"  
"Because I want to get away from you!!!" Spike's heart sank ten feet that very minute. She wanted to get away...from him? Tears were streaming down Faye's flushed cheeks. "Everywhere I go, you're in my mind. I can still smell your cologne when you haven't been anywhere near me. I hear your voice even when you refuse to converse with me. I feel your touch when you haven't been near me for days. You've held my heart in the palm of your hands for quite awhile now, only to kick it around and have a field day with it. Well i'm taking it back Spike. "  
"A field day?"  
"Yes!! You look at me and the word 'Julia', the word that haunts me even still, slips from your lips. I'm not Julia! I never will be! I'm Faye...always and forever. And for some odd reason....you can comprehend that." Faye wiped away her tear stains and stared at the ground. She almost felt ashamed for revealing so much in so little time. "I hated my mother."  
"What?" Spike was still gawking at the orchid haired beauty.  
"My mother. I despised her. As a child, I think I stole her attention from my father. So when I hit my teenage years, she berated me until I believed everything she said. Every insult, I took it to heart. I ended up being a waitress in a bar. Some dream job, huh? But there were two men in my life who made me happy. The first one, being my dad. I loved him so much. He thought I could take on the world and survive. And then there was Spencer, my best friend in the whole world. I could tell him anything and everything. He brought out a fire in me that grew with each year until I became the Faye I am today. And then I fancied myself in love with him, while he was taken. " Spike remained silent. Faye had never told him any of this. Why now? "We had a petty fight the day before my accident. The year we graduated from highschool, he foresaw the man I would end up with. He sounded alot like you." Spike kept his gaze locked on the bounty huntress.  
"Faye..."  
"Spencer was always a good liar. Like father like son, I guess." With that said, Faye wandered back to the Bebop to say her final goodbyes, leaving a stunned Spike in the same postion.  
  
Blair struggled to escape the binds on his wrist. He knew where he was and why he was there. The Syndicate wanted Preacherman back. Blair yelled out in agony. Why now? A shadowed figure lingered over his bent body and held out a small silver switch.  
"Which is it Blair? Will you join back with us by choice or force?"  
"Neither..."  
"Fine....have it your way." A thin finger reached out and flipped the tiny switch.  
If one were a million miles away and deaf, they could still hear the agonzing sceam of pure terror. Never would you hear such a scream. It was a fear of the unknown and a horror that you knew that result of that fear. It was like the howl of an animal being put to slaughter and living through every slice until the blood drained entirely from its body, followed by its life. Blair was being sent to slaughter, leaving his sanity behind in a pool of another's blood.  
  
Spike struggled to bring himself back to the Bebop and was almost relieved to see the Redtail gone. Soft whispers echoed throughout the deserted halls of the Bebop. It was a child's voice, and Spike half expected Ed to jump out with Tomato atop her head, balanced by such a chemically imbalanced girl. However, a small note caught Spike's attention -  
Spike-  
Went to store with Ed to pick up medicine and a few supplies. Serenity complaining of a stomach ache.  
Jet  
  
Spike laughed to himself. Leave it to Jet to feel sorry for a kid. So then it was Serenity who was making such noise? Spike continued down the cool hallway towards the girlish whispers. He could finally pick up on the one person conversation.  
  
"I know, I know.......I knooooowww. I tried. I didn't try that. I knooooowwww. He didn't even try to stop her. Can you believe that? I have never done that before......No!!"  
"Who are you talking to?" Serenity darted around and held a permanent scowl. A low noise, which Spike could only describe as a growl, was emitted from the tiny girl.  
"Why should it matter to- " She turned around to meet her invisible friend. "I saw it once on a movie. Yes an old movie. If you think it will work....i'm willing to try anything at this point."  
"What are you doing?"  
"Close your eyes...." Spike sighed but did as he was told. Slowly, but surely, he could smell the significant scent of roses and he opened his eyes to meet the icey blue orbs of Julia.  
"Julia..." The sweet reunion was cut short when Julia glared daggers into her former lover and sent her hand straight to his cheek in one quick action, leaving an imprint the size of a child's hand.  
"Why'd you slap me?" Julia's gaze was cold and angered. He had only seen this side of her a few times before.  
"You let her go!!"  
"I thought you'd be happy!!" Julia stepped forward, her nose almost touching Spike's.  
"You are alive because I wanted you to be...and yet you waste that gift on the past."  
"What are you saying?"  
"I chose Serenity to help me. A lost little girl, like I used to be. When I died, I woke up. But when I saw you last, there was a spark in your eyes that I had never seen before."  
"It was the desire to kill Vicious."  
"No. You were happy here on the Bebop....with Jet and Ed and....Faye."  
"I could never love anyone but you,Julia! You know that!"  
"And that's a lie! You woke up from your dream Spike, don't fall back into it because of a ghost."  
"Are you saying you want me to fall for Faye?"  
"I'm saying I want you leave me be. Let me wake up so that you may live. I saw that spark you carried with Faye. I could never light that spark for you Spike. "  
"So you're saying you never really loved me." Julia's baby blues were filled with tears as she began to speak again.  
"I will always love you Spike. But i'm dead now. It's okay to allow yourself to love."  
"I don't want to love another!!"  
"Spike...I left you when you needed me most. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But she....she begged you to stay. Don't think too long on it."  
"What do you mean? "  
"The switch has been flipped..." Spike's mismatched eyes flew open as Serenity stood below him with an innocent stare.  
  
Faye laid her bags beside the front door of Blair's apartment. It had just begun to storm when she left the Bebop and she was soaked from head to toe and carried a heavy weight on hre shoulders from the previous conversation. She walked towards the living room, turning on every light, only to learn the electricity had been blown.  
"Blair?" Lightning flashed before her, revealing a black clad figure holding a gleaming katana. Deja vu. "Vicious?" A smile crept upon the stranger's dimly lit face.  
"Far from it. Are you a religious woman, Faye?" Faye gulped and backed up to the door.  
"Not really."  
"Perhaps it is time that you did..." 


	16. Dream On

Okay, so maybe I SHOULD edit better...i'll try to but sometimes I just don't have time. Unfortunally, I have to do it the old fashioned way. Anyway, about the story....I have included yet another bump in the road...Mwahahahahahahahahahaha...cough cough choke choke cough choke cough  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays - Dream On  
  
Faye backed up slowly towards her only exit besides the balcony, which Blair had so efficiently blocked. She could feel the cool brass doorknob against her sweaty palm. How could something like this happen? It was only this morning that Blair had wooed her and whispered sweet nothings into her awaiting ear. She had longed to hear someone want her the way he had, and now he carried an evil glint in his eye and a grim smile to accompany it. Faye winced as Blair threw the katana that once belonged to the horrid Vicious at lightning speed and graced Faye's pale cheek as it struck the door. She didn't know if it was a warning or just chance that the katana missed her by a hair. Blood began to trickle down her once flawless cheek. It wasn't until she saw Blair's muscular form running towards her, did her instincts kick in. Faye tackled her former beau before he could lay a hand on her and tumbled towards the glass door that stood between her and safety for the time being.  
  
Everytime that I look in the mirror All these lines on my face gettin clearer The past is gone It went by like dusk to dawn Isn't that the way Everybody's got their dues in life to pay  
  
Spike stared in the mirror and rubbed at his chin. He seemed so much older now even though a single wrinkle couldn't be seen. He hadn't eaten or slept since Faye left which was quite odd, considering the fact he got the best sleep when the shrew was gone. No nagging, no pestering, no whining. It was like a dream come true that Romani had left. So why did his stomach turn cartwheels when she said she was leaving because of him? He sighed and leaned on the tiled wall to weigh out his choices. In one hand, he had his love for Julia. But Julia was dead now and had even used a seven year old girl to convey the message 'move on'. Spike got that much clear. In the other hand, Faye. The same tomboy who had practically begged him to stay when he left to fight Vicious. The same woman who had somehow grown on him in her time on the Bebop. The same Faye who had basically shown every emotion to him yesterday without actually yelling out that she cared for him. Now he felt the guilt...  
  
I know what nobody knows Where it somes and where it goes I know everybody sins You gotta lose to know how to win  
  
Serenity stared blankly at the bounty hunter gazing at his open palms in the bathroom. She shuddered to even think of why he was staring at them the way he was. She cleared her throat to catch Spike's attention and leaned upon the doorframe for support. Julia had long since left her side when she confessed to Spike. In a way, the child missed the blonde woman's presence. She had grown accustomed to the forlorn features that had shown her the path to Spike, Faye, and the Bebop. She hated to do what she had to do next...  
"Hey cowboy..." Spike turned to meet the innocent eyes of Serenity peering back at him. He blushed slightly and then straightened his posture, noting the bag she was carrying of the items she had been given by the crew.  
"Leaving so soon?" Serenity shrugged her small shoulders.  
"Depends."  
"On?"  
"Either way, I have to go. But you should really consider going after Faye."  
"I'm not worried about it. Faye knows how to handle herself. Besides, only one man knew the exact location of Blair's switch and I took it upon myself to rid this universe of him."  
"Vicious?"  
"Bingo." Serenity bit her bottom lip and twirled a piece of tangerine hair around her nimble finger.  
"Ummm....not exactly." Spike's dark eyes were now dead serious as the child smiled nervously. Serenity gave a tiny yelp as Spike flew past her, grabbing his Jericho and an extra round of bullets.  
  
Faye climbed desperately up to the roof. There was no way she could go below now. The soft slams of a car tossed Faye into the notion that the Syndicate was more involved with Blair's life than he ever let on. She cursed lightly as she maneuvered her thin form over the side of the brick edge, finally noticing just how high she was. Rain pounded against her shoulders and the tiny droplets gave a tight sting when it hit her flesh. Faye scanned the roof for any sign of Blair and was answered with a hard punch to the stomach. Faye shook it off and focused her eyes in the rain on her attacker. Blair advanced once more, this time knocking her to the ground.  
  
Half my life's in book's written pages Live and learn from fools and from sages You know it's true All the things you do, come back to you  
  
Faye snapped her emerald eyes shut and waited for the next blow. Images of her compatriots crowded her once empty memory. She hated it when her memory would choose the worst times to dance around in her head. Everything she had learned had been from the crew of the Bebop. Jet had taught her patience; Spike taught her you don't need it. She mentally kicked herself. Even in the midst of a fight, she was thinking back to that lunkhead! She couldn't deny her feelings, but neither could he. He made that perfectly clear when he spoke Julia's name to her face. The final blow had never come and Faye gasped out loud as Blair's body landed next to her's with an even louder thud. Faye followed Blair's landing to a tall, lanky shadow standing at ease but ready to fight. Faye's eyes widened once more. He had come back. For her.  
  
Sing with me, sing for the year Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear Sing with me, if it's just for today Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away  
  
Blair ran towards the cowboy, katana gleaming in the night. Spike easily dodged it, only to be slit from behind. Blair took advantage of the situation and punched Spike right across the jaw, knocking his Jericho along with it. Spike managed a few more hits before the pain from his wound drew away his energy. Blair charged at him, pinning him to the small building the served as a green house for the tennants. Spike refused to swallow for the blade of Blair's katana was jammed against Spike's throat.  
  
Dream on, Dream on, Dream on Dream until your dreams come true  
  
It was like slow motion for Faye. The Jericho sliding across the cement and stopping beside her, as if God was giving her a cruel choice to make. Faye wrapped her cold fingers around the trigger and aimed at the two men. The choice had to be made. Kill the man she loved or kill the other. The question was : which one did she love?  
  
Dream on  
  
'A life full of Saturdays..'  
'...my brightest moment was when YOU WEREN'T AROUND!!'  
'Always keep your own marked hand. They might come in handy.' Faye stood on her knees and took better aim. Both men struggled and Faye had to squint to keep them in full sight range.  
  
Dream on  
  
'I just wanted to make sure you're...you know...okay.'  
'It's the future that's important.'  
'You hear me but you don't listen to me.' Dream On  
  
'I came here with you and i'm leaving with you.'  
'Your home is with him.'  
'..bring him back....please?'  
'I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't love you.' A single shot rang through the cold air as the life from a body seeped out into the world. The corpse landed with a single thud and ceased to move. Faye stood there, quivering from the shot. She couldn't believe it, she had shot him...  
  
Spike grimaced as he heard the bullet and was finally able to swallow the lump forming in his throat as Blair's body sank to the ground. His mismatched orbs floated to the obviously stunned Faye. He made no movement towards her. How could he? She had just acted out the most tragic story ever penned on paper. She had shot the man who loved her, for the man she loved but could not love in return. Spike watched a single tear descend down her face as she lowered her weapon. As if hypnotized, Faye dropped the Jericho and backed up towards the edge of the building before running away from her cowboy.  
What had she done? The one man who could have ever possibly loved her and she just killed him in cold blood! Her heart beat furiously as she ran back to the Redtail. She didn't deserve a heart. Why couldn't she just rip it out, send it to Spike, and never return to the Bebop. She leaned against the control panel, trying to restrain the sadness that dripped from her form. Her head ached from the repeating phrase 'That wasn't Blair....That wasn't Blair....'  
  
Sing with me, sing for the year Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear Sing with me, if it's just for today Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away.  
  
The rain had stopped hours ago as a large redheaded man stepped out onto the roof, breathing in the much anticipated battle between old foes. He quietly stepped over to the slain Blair and reached for the bloodied katana. He smirked as he wiped off the remaining blood and placed it back in its sheath. He knelt down beside the former Red Dragon.  
"Blair Blair Blair.....you should've known better than to take something that doesn't belong to you. What would you have done if Vicious were here? Sadly, you won't be able to find out, now."  
  
Serenity popped another candy into her petite mouth as she skipped merrily across the Martian street. It was definetly time for a change even though she didn't mind the company of Edward or even Jet for that matter. It was the lanky cowboy that had gotten to her. Why couldn't he take a hint? The sour candy melted upon her tastebuds as she worked down another. Besides, she didn't HAVE to help him. He could at least be grateful. Serenity paused beside a worn looking dog and handed the mutt the remainder of her candy. The dog wagged its tail lazily and snatched the sweet goodness from her palm. Serenity smiled. She was so easily comforted by the simple pleasures of helping living things. Her silver irises shut instinctively as a large hand covered her mouth while the other picked her up and dragged her away. She was thrown roughly into the backseat of a car and thoughts of perverse natures was the first thing her mind busted out. Instead, a very lady like woman sat across from her, a smile etched upon her artificial lips.  
"Serenity...It is indeed a pleasure to finally meet you." Serenity quirked an eyebrow.  
"Excuse me? What do you people want with me?"  
"To heal someone, of course."  
"May I ask who? I don't just go around healing strangers that could be potential psychos, lady..." She giggled impishly and waved away the childish remark.  
"It's not your choice this time. But if you must know his name..."  
  
Spike dug his hands in his pockets and limped down the barren halls of the Bebop. The ship seemed so much colder than usual. He paused before Faye's room, remembering how she would always sleep in until the wee hours of the evening. The pain returned and Spike dreaded taking off his shirt to succumb to the damage that had been done. But Blair was dead and he supposed that that was all that mattered. He shrugged off the fact that he wasn't the one killed the infamous Preacherman, for her knew that it would be harder for Faye to accept. He entered his room, not even bothering to turn on the light. However, he was quite surprised when his battered body hit the cold, wet skin of another. He felt around in his pocket for his lighter and let it linger over the still form that had occupied his bed. The flame slid over the shapely legs, followed by the curvacious body of a woman, and then finally to the head of damp, violet hair. Faye! His breath caught in his throat as she turned to face him, hurt clear on her features.  
  
"You came back..." Faye smiled gently and fell on his chest.  
"I always come back, remember?"  
"But why? I made you kill the man you love..." Faye tightened her grip on his shirt, aware of every move, every breath, every cut that lay within Spike.  
"You're so thickheaded....so thickheaded...."  
  
Serenity pounded her small fists on the pexiglass windows. No....she couldn't...wouldn't believe the demand that had just been conceived. Her screams proved to be effortless for they were far from any city now. The mysterious woman pulled at the little girl and tried her best to shut her up. Serenity refused to go with them without a fight.  
"NO!!! You can't make me bring him back!! I WON'T!"  
"You have no choice, Serenity!"  
"Why do you want to bring back that monster!! Why VICIOUS!!??"  
People are naturally cruel. That's how they were brought up to be. Nobody teaches you to be nice and help others out. The world would swallow you up if you were sweet, noble, kind, gifted...or they would steal it from you just in spite of you. They would crush you just to see your soul seep from your body. They would push you off a cliff just to see your dreams and wishes fly away as you descend towards Earth. They would blow up the sky just so God couldn't hear you wish upon a star for the love of your life. These people would conceive a hit and run, act as nothing happened and go about the monotone life that had grown so accustomed to before your bright smile wrecked the havoc they had planned to throw on society. And who are these people you ask? Look in the mirror. These people are you and me. 


	17. Dream A Little Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: Dream A Little Dream  
  
She had seen it coming. The tiny child that could witness events before they even happened had watched herself awaken Vicious on another planet, thus giving him time to pull the switch on Blair. But she thought that maybe, just maybe she could change the way Fate had their destinies planned, but to no avail. Serenity had failed miserably and was now watching the stoic man with leering eyes. She hated him even though she had never met him in her entire life. Everything she knew about him had been received through mental images during the nights. At this point, all Serenity could do was pray that Spike had made it to Faye in time.  
  
Faye stared into the endless sea of stars. The universe seemed to keep going and going before her, yet she knew where she was going. She was going home. To the Bebop. Where she belonged. It was funny, she hadn't realized how much the tortured ship meant to her until she watched Blair fall by her hand. He had slipped through life because of her and as she watched him hit the ground, it hit her that she only had one place to go to now. She had struggled with that fact for some time after she left Blair. She knew she'd have to face Spike sooner or later and apologize to her crewmates for leaving them in the first place. Neither fit her very well. Or she could run away. She was infamous for her disappearing acts and it would prove to be to her benefit in the longrun. But Faye Valentine was tired of running. She had been running for so long and was growing tired of starting all over. She pulled into the hanger of the Bebop, expecting Edward to pounce on her as soon as she stepped out of the cockpit. Yet the hacker was nowhere to be seen or heard.  
Faye poked her head out into the living quarters, catching the sound of soft moans from Spike's bedroom. So the cowboy was getting his kicks? Faye let the anger subside. Who was she to trail after Spike like a little lost dog and lecture him for his womanizing ways. She'd leave that job to Jet. Speaking of the captain himself, where is the bald geezer, Faye wondered. It was not like the crew to desert the ship like this. If it had still been docked in the harbor, than Faye would not worry. They would've have been on ground, with numerous excuses for disappearing. But the Bebop was floating in space, without a single soul wandering its floors. Well, with the exception of a satisfied Spike. Faye shook her head and began her journey to the shower. She would need a long, hot, steaming shower after this day.  
  
Spike's hands discovered every part of the temptress at that moment. Everything from her lips, to her arms, all the way to her shapely legs. And the woman straddling him was committing her own adventure with his body. Her mouth teased his neck and was slowly moving over to his chest when he caught a glimpse of a yellow jumpsuit clad, heliotrope haired siren that he had thought to be hovering over him instead of walking the halls. That could only mean one thing. Spike gulped as he was thrown back to the bed with the edge of a dagger gracing his neck. The woman morphed into a redhead beauty before his mismatched eyes.  
"Who are you?" The woman's eyes were now nothing but sly slits.  
"Do you really think you're in the postion to be asking questions?" Spike was knocked unconcious by the blunt handle of the weapon before he could answer.  
  
Faye scrubbed away the night's memories in the scalding water. It was a little extreme, yes, but she felt renewed afterwards. Now all she had to do was get the warring feelings for the cowboy in the other room out of her head and heart. Maybe he could feel the same way. No, he had made that quite clear the night he spoke Julia's name instead of her own. Her mind was as clear as glass afterwards. She would let her feelings go away with time and find someone else. That was always possible, right?  
She finally managed to get dressed and head into the control room. She would go there sometimes to think and stare at the stars. She remembered always wanting to see the bright balls of light up close, never getting the chance until now. Her father would've loved to watched them this close wih her. It were times like these that she wished for her family to miraculously appear and sweep her away, back home. But she had visited the pile of rubble before Spike ran off, finding nothing but lost memories of a happy child and a lonely woman. Out of the corner of her emerald eye, Faye caught the angry gleam of a katana edging near her and she quickly ducked, but not before obtaining a nasty gash across the back. Yet she didn't scream out in pain. She was too astounded to react to the cut that would probably scar her flawless flesh. She crouched down in the dim light of the control room, waiting for her attacker to walk out of the darkness.  
He was just like how she remembered him. Cold, unmoved by any emotion except by the name of Julia. More than anything she wished she had her Glock, then she would shoot the bastard back into Hell where he belonged. Lucky for her, there was a small pile of salt from where Ed was conducting one of weird experiments earlier. She wrapped her palm over the white dust, grabbing a handful. The salt may be the only way she was going to get out of this one alive.  
"Hello Faye." That voice. She hated that voice. And she even started to panic when it wasn't followed by the cool tone of Spike. But she put all of it behind her and kept an impassive aura about her, complete with a seductive smirk.  
"Well well well. Who would've thought i'd run into you again, Vicious?" He took another step towards Faye, ready for her to pull out a gun at any moment. But the confrontation was too exciting to pass up. For days he would fantasize about taking Spike's prized bounty huntress away from him and martyrize her until she screamed out his name in pain. It was almost too much for him to handle. Yes, he had dreamed about that day, until she turned down his offer to come into the Syndicate with him. Since that night, he vowed to crucify her for her objection. "What do you want?"  
"So hostile, aren't you Faye?" She was growing agitated by the second.  
"What else is there to be? Stop playing games with me Vicious. What do you want?" He smiled coyly at Faye and returned his katana to its sheath at his side.  
"I'm going to let you reconsider my offer in joing the Red Dragons." Faye cringed and went in for her attack.  
"Go to hell!" Vicious winced in pain as the salt entered his vision, but he was quickly over it and on Faye's heels, knocking her into the wall. Faye could've completely ignored her wound if Vicious hadn't slammed her back first. His katana was pressed firmly against her throat, causing her chin to tilt in his direction.  
"Tricky tricky tricky. I didn't want it to come down to this." As if his words were a signal, the lights of the Bebop flickered on, enlightening Faye of just how dangerous the situation was. There, in one spotlight, lay a battered Jet whom was bleeding from his head. And next to him sat an equally unconcious Ed, snoring lightly with Ein twitching beside her. No wonder she hadn't heard them. In the next spotlight, stood a bulky man and a redheaded woman, the man bearing Spike's limp form and the woman holding on to a struggling Serenity. Tears stained the child's flushed cheeks, making Faye almost pity her. But Faye knew that it was the kid who brought Vicious back into the world of the living. Vicious pressed his weight upon Faye's body, making her want to gag from his closeness.  
"I'm sorry! Faye! Don't do whatever he says!! Please!!" Serenity's tiny voice was blocked out by the bulky man's fist, who somehow managed to balance Spike on one arm.  
"Now then, you will either join me or have your comrades die in front of you. Which will it be?" Faye flinched under Vicious' choices. But she couldn't let her friends die because of her imcompetence.  
"Don't do it Faye..." Spike's strained voice broke the silence. When had he regained conciousness?  
"Spike..." His voice shattered Faye's heart. She couldn't let him die now because of her. She lowered her head in shame, unable to look Spike in the eye once she said it. "Fine.." Vicious simpered maliciously and grasped Faye's forearm.  
"I knew you'd change your mind. Come. We'll take your Redtail." He paused beside the man and woman. "Blow up the ship." Faye's beryl irises widened and she fought against Vicious' brute strength.  
"No!! We had a deal!! You're not living up to your part of the bargain." Vicious grinned.  
"Oh but I am, Faye. I said you either join forces with me or watch your friends die in front of you. You and I will be far away by the time they breathe their last breath."  
  
Spike had reached full conciousness as he heard of the fate his former compatriot had in store for him and the Bebop crew. He attempted to squeeze out of the heavy man's grip but got hit upside the head for the stupid exertion. And Faye. Faye was now Vicious' property. She had become his personal play thing without even knowing it. Sure Faye and him had their bad days but he wouldn't wish that fortune upon anyone. He watched the man and redhead set the timer for ten minutes and leave, giving Spike his chance. He skidded over to Edward, slapping her lightly to wake her up.  
  
"Ed....Ed.....EDWARD!!!" She fluttered her amber orbs open and tried to comprehend the earlier events.  
"Ed is out, come back in five minutes." Spike rolled his discorded eyes and slapped the hacker a little harder then before.  
"ED!"  
"Huh? Spike-person? What's going on-pawn?"  
"There's a bomb on the ship. I need you to disengage it." He quickly untied her as she set to work, mumbling to herself about salt, whatever that meant. Jet, however, was an entirely different story. Spike had to waff a cigarette before the old man's nostrils to get him to wake up. And when he did, he lit in to Spike for letting his guard down. Spike was a little more than peeved, considering the Bebop wasn't even his ship to begin with. Besides, how was he to know that it wasn't Faye kissing him and whispering sweet nothings. And then it hit him like a speeding bullet. He remembered listening to the conversation she had with Ein, expressing her days after awakening in the most simple of words. He had also remembered how she had told Whitney that she was without a identification mark, like he had. The woman who had seduced Spike was equipped with her own bar code identification. Dammit. Why didn't he catch the before?  
Ed wiped her brow as she disaffiliated the bomb. She stopped the clock at exactly thirty seconds before the explosion. Jet sighed and spoke sweet nothings to his pride and joy. Spike hovered over a fallen Serenity, who refused to look at any of the crew. She had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She had sent Snow White to the upmost evil. He tossed an ice pack towards her, feeling a bit sorry about her bruised cheek. Serenity was a generous kid and didn't deserve to be tossed around like a potato sack. But she had made the grave mistake of bringing back Vicious. Everyone would pay for it dearly in the end.  
"You must hate me." Her voice was a little more than a whisper. "I put you and the crew at risk. And sent Faye into the hands of that beast." Spike squatted beside her, lighting a cigarette to clear his mind.  
"Hate you....no. Incredibly pissed off.....you betcha. But I don't think you had much choice in the matter, right? And Faye, well, she chose that road." Serenity's eyes glistened with unshed tears.  
"How can you be so cold? You're going to go after right?" Spike remained silent. Sure, he'd go after her. He was the protagonist after all. Every story had their romani in distress, their disgruntled parental figures, the highly eccentric child that hacks into monosystems, and the handsome, chain - smoking prince. Well, not EVERY story. The Bebop was unique like that. But Spike had no idea in where to begin. Vicious had created his name in numerous cities and any planet could be housing him. It was a delicate situation that had to be handled with care. Spike mentally laughed out loud. Since when did he ever give a damn about handling delicate situations with care? A few minutes later, Jet was desperately chasing him down while Serenity sat on his shoulder, trying to bandage the poor man's head.  
"Spike!! Where are you going at a time like this?!"  
"He has Faye, Jet. I thought you be a little concerned. Besides, you're no shape to go save her." Jet sighed and swiped at the little girl mending his skull.  
"Things like this need planning. You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Spike jumped into the cockpit of the Swordfish and smirked at his comrade.  
"I'm going to go get my woman." Serenity and Jet gawked at the cowboy as Ed spun around in the exhaust the former monoracer created. Jet scratched at the itchy gauze, wondering just exactly when Faye had become Spike's woman. 


	18. The Sound Of Silence

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or the song 'The Sound Of Silcence' by Simon and Garfunkel. Don't diss the duo, dude.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: The Sound Of Silence  
  
Faye lay on the dusty bed that had been given to her by Vicious. The entire trip to where ever it was he placed her consisted of nothing but empty threats about escaping and a cold grasp on her arm. She had hoped that he would give her to one of his many followers, but no. He had led her to her own personally guarded bedroom himself, not once glancing down at her. Perhaps if he had looked at her, she could persuade him with a pout or a tempting grin.  
She surveyed the small area, not knowing what to do. There were no windows and only two doors- one leading to the hall and one leading to the bathroom. And the bathroom was worse than the one on the Bebop. The shower was covered with mildew and the toilet seemed in even in worse condition than the shower. The sink seemed clean enough, except for the broken mirror above it. Great, Faye thought, Now i'm stuck with seven more years of bad luck. She collapsed on the sorry excuse for a mattress, causing a cloud of dust to form over her head.  
  
Spike cruised the galaxy for any sign of Faye. He asked strangers if they had seen her around, but it proved to be effortless. It was a big galaxy and he was trying to find two fleas on a very large dog. In other words, Faye and Vicious could be anywhere. Spike finally decided to try Mars. Sure, Faye was never really fond of the planet but Vicious called it home. Maybe he could dig up something from there.  
  
She fell into a restless sleep. The kind where you can sense everything around you but still be able to dream up impossible schemes. But Faye began to panic when another body weighed down the old bed and feared that Vicious would live up to his name through her. However, it wasn't the cold form she expected. The person's body was warm and familiar and seemed inevitably far away. The fear returned as soon as a pair of lips brushed at the nape of her neck, causing the tomboy to shiver with a rude delight. She couldn't help but be turned on by the stranger. It was as if she had known those lips before...  
"What did you get yourself into now?" Faye nearly leapt ten feet into the air at the sound of his voice. He was dead. She was sure of that. No man could live to be that age and still feel as if he were twenty again.  
"Spencer!!" He chuckled at her horrific expression. He had expected her to be surprised but scared was out of the question. He ran a hand through his green mane, only a few inches shorter than the present Spiegel Faye had fallen for.  
"You'd think you'd be happier to see your old flame."  
"Hardly a flame. But you got old right. What are you doing here? How did you get in here? And how the hell are you still alive?!" Spencer Spiegel leaned back on the oversized pillow, lightly dusting off a spot for his head. Even apparitions like to maintain a sense of cleanliness next to godliness.  
"Yeah right. You were crazy about me and you knew it. And i'm not alive. I'm a figment of your imagination. Well, not really. But the only way I could communicate with you was through your brain. Which is very small, might I add...." Spencer Spiegel may have been a product of too much alcohol and stress, but Faye still wanted to pound the jerk six feet under - again. Faye settled in next to him like they had done for years before.  
"So why are you here instead of heaven or something like that?" Faye thought she could sense the smell of cigarette smoke, yet Spencer wasn't smoking.  
"Or something like that.....I came to check up on you."  
"What?" The smirk on Spencer's lips grew wider.  
"Oh yeah, I watch you every now and then. You know, to see who you're with, what kind of trouble you're getting in. I was there when you met Spike. I was there when he saved you from that retarded cult....what was it...Brain Scratch? I was there when you got your memories back...." Faye cringed at the last remark.  
"I was in the shower when I got my memory back..." Spencer sighed.  
"Yes well.....i'm still a man. And a man has...." Faye's thin eyebrow began to twitch nervously.  
"Watch your words Spiegel..."  
"Anyway...I also hear your thoughts sometimes. And I heard that you're giving up on Mr. Spike." Faye rolled over on her side. Why did he have to bring his offspring into this?  
"Shut up Spenc. Even as a ghost you're annoying."  
"Feeling's mutual. The point is...your eyes give it away. You're smitten for him." Faye finally twisted about the sheets to face her former best friend.  
"You're cra-"  
"You hopelessly, helplessly, recklessly in love with the guy."  
"Don't make me lau-"  
"You crave his touch, wish for his kiss, and hope that your love will be returned." By now, it was no longer a vision of Spencer hovering above her, he had turned into a replica of Spike himself. Faye's cheeks reddened as her fantasy began to come true as the image of Spike leaned down, his lips brushing her own. "Wake up." Faye's kelly orbs popped open to see Vicious leaning on a loose beam in the corner, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  
"It's time." Faye pulled her legs up to her chest. She didn't like not knowing what was in store for her.  
"For what?"  
"Your first assignment."  
  
They had parked three streets down from where the intended target would be. Vicious explained that police look for the closest getaway car first. At least they would have a fighting chance to get away. Faye was even more shocked at the mark that was chosen : Chuck Sukimoto. Of all people, Faye had hoped that she would never run into the redheaded bastard ever again. Yet here he was, a few feet below her and unguarded. More than anything, Faye Valentine wanted to shoot the man who took her away from her Spike and introduced her to Blair into the next universe. But the moral part of her warned her that he was following orders, probably from Vicious. But that didn't excuse what he did to her. Faye straightened out her shooting arm and took aim at the crimson haired man and soon enough, his body matched his hair.  
It had felt good to rid the world of another petty man like Chuck Sukimoto. So why did she have such a nauseating feeling overcoming her stomach and working its way towards her throat? She never intentionally killed. It had always been for protection and self defense. She never killed in revenge. It just didn't sit well with her. Maybe if the man was someone like Vicious and carried a vendetta against her....no she couldn't even see herself doing that. She cowered underneath Vicious' grip, defiance beginnning to boil deep within her body. And before she knew it, she was pointing the gun at the area where his heart would've been if he still had one. But he just stared at her as if she were a common moron for defying him. He moved towards her slowly so that the mouth of the gun pushed into his chest.  
"You want to kill me?" Several small clicks were thrust from the gun, but no bullets would follow. Vicious knew how her mind worked more than she did and knew she would use the one bullet for Sukimoto. Faye's legs began to tremble like melted rubber underneath her weight. She never knew that Mars carried that much gravity. She fell to her knees in blubbering heap of woman. "Pathetic."  
"Bastard...." Her words were nothing more than sobbed whispers, but Vicious heard it just fine. He knelt down in front of her, offering his hand to help her up.  
"You really want to hurt me?"  
"More than anything." Her forwardness was something Vicious wasn't used to. A few moments ago, she was whimpering like a small child and now she was standing with confidence written clear on ehr face.  
"Then you're welcome to try." Faye's fist flew through the air at lightning speed. But it wasn't quick enough. For every punch was a slight move to the either side, dodging Faye's efforts entirely. Vicious finally had enough and at the last launch of strength, pulled her delicate arm behind her, crushing her muscle and causing a small scream to pass through her rouge lips. "You are something else Ms. Valentine." He then proceeded to push her into the nearby wall, punishing her with pain from her still fresh wound. Faye squirmed in the monster's arms, wanting to wake up from the terrible nightmare. Vicious' grasp tightened, before crushing his mouth against her in putrid kiss of death. And then her world went black as his fist crashed upon her skull. She wouldn't wake up for a good two hours.  
  
Spike had contacted Edward an hour ago to make sure she kept her end of the line open, in case Vicious popped up. Spike would have the adavantage then for Ed was surperb at determining locations by hacking into his aversary's communication system. Now he was just waiting. Waiting for the light on his screen to shine and see his former comrade's wretched face appear. And then he would find him and bring Faye back where she belonged. Where she belonged? Spike grinned to himself and himself only. Faye had slowly become a part of him whether he wanted her to or not. Part of it had to do with lust. The woman had a body that most women would kill for. But there was something else to it. The little spark she held in her firey green eyes that captivated every man, including Spike. It was the way she stood up for her crewmates when it came down to it. It was the way she lived in the moment rather than a set path that others wanted her to take. She was her own person. So why couldn't Spike see that until it was taken from him?  
"Hello Spike."  
"Vicious." Spike was calm, but inside he was a raging maniac, ready to tear the man limb from limb."Where's Faye?"  
"She's fine, for now. Meet me at the warehouse where the Syndicate would conduct their drug runs."  
"How do I know this isn't a setup?"  
"You don't.." The screen was now black. Spike had no other choice but to meet Vicious at the desired location.  
  
Faye awoke with a start in a large tank with no opening. She banged on the glass in hopes that someone might spot her and free her from the glass tomb, yet there was no one. She quickly scanned the area, noticing that they were in some kind of warehouse. She also noticed that she had been placed into a red evening dress. How sick can one man get?  
"I'm glad to see you're awake. You wouldn't want to miss your reunion with Spike." Faye slid down the glass. She was going to see Spike?  
  
The warehouse was just how he remembered it : dirty and worn out. The only difference was that it was a little more dirtier and was now falling apart. Two men met him at the front door, leading him into a room filled with armed gangsters and a slender tank. Inside the tank, lay a forlorn looking Faye. Like the warehouse, she too looked as if she were going to fall apart. But as soon as their eyes met, the spark returned. He hastily ran to the capsule, before being held back by a pair of thugs when he had reached the tank.  
"You always were the one to rush into things, Spike." Vicious moved up beside his former friend and traced Faye's outline with his gloved finger.  
"Let her out!"  
"Now, now. This isn't a time for making demands. This is a time for negotiation." Spike slacked off his force, knowing that any wrong move could set off a round of bullets and a nice slash from Vicious' katana.  
"Go ahead." A flick from Vicious' wrist sent a rush of water flowing into the tank, dousing Faye at first before she realized what the man intended for her. Spike's mismatched irises grew at the sight of the tank filling with no way for Faye to escape. And it was filling fast.  
"It seems that Faye used to be aquainted with a former Syndicate member who didn't learn from his mistakes when we killed his wife. He held a power that the Red dragons craved. A blueprint for biochemical weapon that can't be seen with the human eye. A powerful tool, if you ask me."  
"I don't know anyone from Faye's past!" That part was mostly true. She had lied the moment she came aboard the Bebop and the only thing he actually knew about her was that she couldn't remember a single thing about her life before her accident and that she had been tricked by a man named Whitney. But that was about it. The rest was a blur to him. The water was now at the top, barely giving Faye enough room to breathe. Time was running out for both the cowboy and his vixen.  
"I suggest you learn, and soon." The tank was now completely full, Faye's oxygen at a low. Vicious turned and nodded for a man to drain out the water. "For this is only a warning Spike. You have forty eight hours to give me that blueprint or I will personally see to it that Faye is disposed of." Faye spit out the water that had found its way into her throat and struggled to gasp for air. She had overheard everything. What had Duke gotten her into?  
"Allow me time with her."  
"Fine but Spike, this is your own test."  
"Why not let her find the damn guy?!"  
"And risk her disappearing? It seems she's very good at that." Spike kneeled before the fallen Faye, wanting to grab her and run away in a blaze of glory.  
"I'll get you outta here."  
"Hey Spike? I got a bad feeling about this one, so do me the favor and watch 'Fort Apache' for me. It's my favorite movie. And that John Wayne...may he rest in peace. I hope he talks to angels." Spike quirked an eyebrow. Had the oxygen left her brain while she was in there? 


	19. Tangerine Speedo

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop. Or the song 'Tangerine Speedo.' There is a reason for the song title, folks.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: Tangerine Speedo  
  
Spike sat in front of the t.v . for what seemed like endless hours after his meeting with Faye. John Wayne was forever plastered in Spike's mind. He knew that Faye had dropped a couple of hints to him but he had no idea what they were. He rented 'Fort Apache' and had studied every movement, every scene, every line and yet he had nothing. What in the blue hell was the woman thinking when she dropped her hints? Spike began to rub the sides of his kelly head in frustration when Jet decided to sit next to his friend and try to help out as best as he could with friendly conversation.  
"What do you want Jet?" A small string of cigarette smoke swirled up into the air like an exotic dancer. Jet rested his elbows on his knees just like Spike and smiled at the movie his companion was watching.  
"Ah, Fort Apache. My dad loved this movie. Although, he just loved John Wayne. He had all of The Duke's movies." Spike raised an eyebrow.  
"The Duke?"  
"Oh yeah! One of the most famous cowboys that ever roamed the movie screen. Real American idol. He got the nickname from an old Airsdale terrier of his." Edward popped up between them, gracing them with her hyper presence.  
"Dukey Dukey! Hahahahahaha!" Her high pitched giggles were enough to shove the most sane man off the edge. Yet it didn't bother Spike. He was slowly beginning to put pieces together in his scatterbrained mind. 'Fort Apache....John Wayne....The Duke....Wait? Duke?'  
  
Flashback  
  
"Stop." Spike did as told and answered the command with a questioning glance. Faye rubbed at her forehead, almost forgetting that she couldn't cover up the action with hair, for it was pinned up tightly in a messy bun. "I'm sorry but this is just too weird for me."  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it. Who would've thought that you and I could dress this nicely?"  
  
"No, it's no that. It's just....i've had this conversation with someone else, someone close to me, and he ended up dying that night."  
"Duke..." Jet glanced over his shoulder and found a glazed over Faye ready to shed tears.  
  
End Of Flashback  
  
Spike shot up from the couch with a look of an inventor who had just revealed his latest creation that actually worked. He yanked Ed up from her tiger-like postion on the floor and held her up to his face.  
"Ed! I need you to look for a Duke in the Red Dragon Syndicate!"  
"Um...Okay...." Jet was quickly at Ed's defense, though unable to pry his compatriot's fingers from the teenager's tank top.  
"Spike! What is this about?!" Spike finally let Edward fall to the ground so she could skimper back to her Tomato and began her long search for the infamous Duke.  
"That's the guy Jet! Duke! He knew somehow knew Faye and he was the man she dropped hints about."  
  
It was nearly two hours later when Ed came upon a picture of a man with deep set eyes and deep cobalt hair, sporting the name 'Duke Vaughan' written in white, bold letters beside it in the Syndicate files. Spike had to admit that Ed was some serious danger for hacking into those files. The Red Dragons were experts when it came to computer systems and found it a danger when a hacker would stumble upon their files. But Spike wouldn't let anything happen to the computer genius. He would be damned if the Syndicate got anyone else close to him.  
"Duke Vaughan. Entered the Syndicate at age 16 and managed to escape at 23. Hunted down but never actually captured. Skilled in the areas of biochemistry and gun handling." Jet's deep voice was soft but loud enough to reach Spike in the kitchen. The bounty hunter rubbed his smooth chin as Jet's voice continued to read Duke's achievements.  
"Where can we find this Duke Vaughan?" Jet scanned over the computer screen before coming to a good conclusion.  
"Uh...Ives Cemetery. He's dead Spike." Dead?! Why would Faye lead him to a dead man?! Dead men couldn't tell him of a location of some stupid biochemical weapon that the Syndicate would use to their advantage! And dead men certainly wouldn't be able to spit out embarrassing stories of the huntress, which was one of the perks of finding a man who had known Faye before him.  
The cemetery was hardly gloomy or barren as movie producers like to make them out to be. If anything, the Ives Cemetery was bright and bountiful with fresh flowers from mourning loved ones. The grass was greener than most cemeteries Spike had visited, which wasn't many, and flourished with neatly kept trees and a dirt free sidewalk. Spike searched through the many tombstones, hoping one would be stuck with a photo of the former mobster. Spike also hoped that Duke was the man's real name. It was nearly lunchtime when Spike nearly tripped over a gravestone, marked with Duke's name and a short remark about how he was important. He also found a photo of a group of people, including a younger Duke, consisting of an overly tattooed bald man, a perky brunette hooked onto Duke's arm, a redhead in a waitress outfit, another aubrun haired woman who was riding the back of an ebony haired man in a suit. Spike flipped the photo over to read the scribbled message : 'To Duke - may your rest with the memories of your time with the Posse and say hi to Charlotte for me. Miss you too much for words - Boxer.' Spike returned to the scene of friends and squinted to make out the bald man's nametag on his work shirt. It was titled 'Frank's Auto - Boxer.' Of all good luck!  
Frank's Auto was nothing more than a mere body shop that consisted of tired old men who just loved to work on cars. And they were good at it too. The word on the street was that Frank's Auto was the best custom body shop in all of Mars. And Boxer, much to Spike's surprise, was still alive and kicking. He entered the office of the shop, sounds of sparks flying into an open shop drifting through the open doors. He could tell that someone had cracked a joke at somepoint by the wild laughter floating around. A small bell let the petite blonde at the front desk know of Spike's entering.  
"Can I help you?" If Spike hadn't been worried about the safety of Faye, he would have easily gave in to his manly temptations and flirted with the young beauty. She was rough around the edges but cute nonetheless.  
  
"Yeah, I'm looking for a Boxer." She chuckled a bit, shunning her glossed lips away from Spike. Before the girl could refrain from laughing any furthur, an man of about 55 entered the office, almost completely covered in tribal art. Spike's eyes followed up the man's skinny legs, wondering what each tattoo meant, but paused when his eyes fell upon the man's wrinkled hands tugging at a thing piece of orange material that clung to his....well his crotch. Spike cringed at the old man in the speedo. The girl continued to giggle under her breath, earning a glare from the mechanic.  
"Give it a rest Dana..." His tone warned her that she was on thin ice.  
"Sorry Dad....But...." More laughter, which was quickly followed by wild hysteria from the shop. The man glared at Spike, quirking a pierced eyebrow at him.  
"Can I help you with something?" Spike shifted his weight.  
"You could start by telling me if you're Boxer or not. And then you could finish by putting on some clothes." The man continued his death gaze, finally shaking his head.  
"Yeah, I'm Boxer. And I can't.....the Yankees lost so i'm kinda stuck like this today." Rude whistles echoed out of the shop, gaining a sigh from the speedo clad mechanic.  
"Let's step into my office, shall we?" Spike followed him into the cubicle he called an office and was glad to see that Boxer was sitted behind a desk, away from the risk of revealing certain body parts Spike preferred not see. "What can I do for you?"  
"Duke Vaughan. Ring a bell?" Boxer leaned back in a leather chair, recalling his days with the old friend.  
"Yes it does. But why do you wanna know about ol Duke. The man's been dead for a good three years." Spike's opposing eyes drifted to Boxer's own copy of the photograph that Spike had found next to Duke's grave.  
"I'll be honest with you, Boxer. My friend is in alot of trouble because of a blueprint that your friend supposedly gave her. She'll either die or get turned in for a bounty. And I just can't let that happen. Now, I need to know as much as Duke as possible. Is there anyone who could know where he had this blueprint." Boxer chuckled.  
"Duke was always like that. He always put others at risk without knowing it." Spike slid the dirty photo of Duke's comrades over to Boxer's withered hand. "Well, what do ya know? I forgot all about leaving this thing there. Well....the woman on Duke's arm was his wife, Charlotte. I'd send ya to her but she was murdered years ago. The cute little redhead is Kasey. Last I heard, she took over her father's advertising business. But that was five years ago. She could very well be dead. The other little brunette is Charlotte's little sister, Elizabeth. The guy is was her fiance, Patrick, but the bastard left her at the alter. Haven't heard from him since. You really wanna know about the stuff Duke had gotten into? Find Elizabeth and you'll find answers. Won't be easy though. Lizzie has a tendency to communicate with force." Boxer returned the picture to Spike as he stood to leave.  
"Thank you." Boxer motioned a welcome but coudln't shake the dark feeling he had. Duke had formed another weapon? He knew his friend had been careless but in the years he knew Duke, the man would never put anyone in real danger. He had learned from that mistake with Charlotte. 


	20. Dazed And Confused

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or the rights to the song 'Dazed and Confused' by Led Zeppelin.  
  
Well.....here it is. The fourth installment to the new chapters. I hope it's better. And i'll update with a brand new chapter as soon as possible. I still have other stories to attend to!  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: Dazed and Confused  
  
You know the saying 'you don't know true loneliness until you're playing Solitaire on a dusty bed, awaiting that certain person's arrival to save you from a certain doom'? Of course not. Faye Valentine hadn't even heard of it, but she was living the scenario to the very last detail. She knew that Vicious had given the cowboy forty eight hours, and she was slowly counting down to the very last second in her head. What else was there to do? She had put on a show, at the stake of her life and was then greeted by a deck of cards. She thanked the guard who presented them to her, but really, how much fun was Solitaire after thirty games? She groaned out loud, hitting the bed with more force she thought she could exert.  
"I have to get out of here before I go crazy..", she mumbled and shuffled through her damp locks for the pins that had held her hair up ealier before getting doused by tons of water. She mentally congratulated herself when her fingers rubbed up against the soft metal of the hair pins and pulled it out with a few strands of hair and choice words. She then proceed to the bathroom to pick up one of the many shards that lay from the broken mirror in the sink. And then it was back to work on the door, the hairpin being shoved in every which way until a click would open her door to freedom. "Faye, you are a freaking genius." She quietly giggled to herself as the door pushed open and Faye scanned the area before poking her head out into the hall. Deserted. So much for being guarded. She promptly removed the high heels she had been forced to wear and headed down the extravagant hallway, glass shard in hand and ready to tango with any man she came upon. However her plan was soon cancelled as she abruptly ran into the chest of someone she hadn't expected - Vicious. She raised her hand defiantly, ready to strike the gangster if she had to.  
"Back off Vicious! I'm armed and I want out of here." Her voice was dangerously low and husky. But Vicious' glare could kill ghosts. And he grabbed the wrist holding her weapon of choice and squeezed until she dropped it in pain.  
"You are more trouble than you're worth Ms. Valentine." With that said, Faye was privately escorted back to her room.

* * *

Spike had sent a message to Elizabeth an hour after he had met up with Boxer and received a return message agreeing to meet him at the small organic garden about two blocks away from Frank's Auto. That had been three hours ago and the suspense was gnawing at his insides. He couldn't just stand around and wait for some oldtimer to waltz in whenever she saw fit. A woman's life was on the line! He lit a cigarette and sighed.  
"She's not coming."

* * *

"He's not coming." Faye sprawled out on the bed when she reached her perception that Spike may have indeed left her here to rot. No, he couldn't have done that. Vicious was involved. That was reason enough for him to hightail it over here. A low snicker resonated through the hollow room. Faye hadn't realized that Vicious was still in the room.  
"No, he'll come. What his motivation will be...even I do not know." Faye leapt from the bed and inched over to Vicious, her fists balled and courage emitting from her body.  
"You think you have Spike so figured out. But you have no idea what goes through his head." He simply smirked at her.  
"And you do?" Faye's head lowered as the truth became unveiled. No, of course she didn't know what went on through his head. Only one person actually had an idea of what went on through his mind. And that one person was Julia. The one person Faye could never be.  
"No. No I don't. I'm not Julia. But Spike WILL come for me." Vicious turned to walk out. He had heard enough from the bounty huntress.  
"Who are you trying to persuade?" Herself. She knew it, too. She wanted to convince herself that Spike could manage to fly by his love for the dangerous angel and put the past behind him for Faye's sake. She shook the thoughts from her head. Spike was her friend, her comrade. They had saved each other's lives on numerous occasions. He would come through for her. She just knew it.

* * *

"This better be important kid. I'm a very busy person." Spike turned to meet a woman in forties but the same despite the aged appearance. He threw the cigarette to ground and rubbed it into the dirt with his shoe.  
"I need your help. Do you know anyone by the name of Faye Valentine?" Her wild blue eyes dilated for a moment before a genuine smile arose on her lips. She shuffled around for her sunglasses and motioned for Spike to take a walk with her through the gardens.  
"Yeah. She was a good person. Had a little attitude but...." She wandered off the sentence for a moment, as if searching for the right words to complete it. She didn't hate the girl. If anything, she respected her loyalty. "...she was the one who contacted all of us about Duke's death. Didn't stick around for the funeral. Which I guess is understandable. She looked like she was in alot of trouble, ya know?" Spike rested his palms on the top of his head as he listened to Elizabeth. Part of him was in a hurry, but if the lady had any 'interesting' details about Faye that could prove to be useful in future situations, then so be it.  
"Touble doesn't even begin to describe it..."  
"That bad, huh? Anyway...why do you wanna know about Faye?" She tugged at the corner of her zirconia sunglasses.  
"She's in trouble again." Elizabeth stopped and stared at Spike, willing him to continue. "Duke gave her something and I need to know where to find it before she gets hurt." She pulled off her glasses and tucked them back into the black coat she sported.  
"I'll help in any way I can." A half smirk jerked at the corners of his mouth.  
"I was hopin you would say that."

* * *

Faye was a wild animal caged in a weird science experiment. And she wanted out. She would desperately claw at the door, begging the guard to give her some fresh air. When the begging wouldn't work, she would pace in front of the door, awaiting Vicious so that she could unleash a physical attack on the bastard. Her wish was soon granted, for the mobster entered the room and handed her a dry set of clothing. Faye took it, but only because she was cold.  
"His time is running thin. He will be here soon." Faye tugged at the zipper on the back of dress and froze when Vicious laid his fingers on her shoulder to steady her while he unzipped the back of the damp evening gown.  
"Why don't you just let me find the damn blueprint and then turn me in for the bounty? You don't have to bring Spike into all of this." His hands remained on her flesh. It was enough to cause her to vomit on the spot.  
"Dear Faye....sweet, naive Faye. Who said I was turning you in for a bounty?" She bit her bottom lip and sucked back her fear. "I WILL kill Spike. And you will remain with me until I become bored of you." He finally released her and opened the door to disappear from sight. "And I assure you, Ms. Valentine, that the day I become bored of you is far, far away."

* * *

"The bracelet!" Elizabeth jumped up in the middle of Spike's dramtic tell of boy meets girl, boy fights with girl, boy dies, boy comes back to girl only to have bad guy revived and take girl away.  
"I wasn't finished. Wait...the bracelet for the Redtail? THAT'S what holds the blueprint?!" Elizabeth shook her head, silently berating Spike for his foolishness.  
"No...My dear, the actual weapon is hidden in the bracelet. It's secure for now. Duke's voice was the key to open it. It should still be like that. I doubt that man would ever give the Redtail up." Spike scratched the green mop he liked to call hair and grinned like a nervous highschool boy.  
"Funny you should mention that...Faye owns the Redtail, actually."  
"WHAT?!" She frantically pulled at the sides of her head, all the while making Spike think he had made a mistake in coming to this woman for help. "Why didn't you tell me that to begin with? Dammit. I worked on the project with Duke that whole time and he swore he would never let it fall into another's hands!!" She ran an apprehensive hand through her auburn hair, unsure of what to do now.  
"Well how is the chemical released?"  
"The blueprints and the actual weapon are stored in chip within that piece of jewelry. It's dormant as long as it is kept on its master's hand. Faye's the Redtail's master so it should be safe. The moment it touches unfamiliar flesh.....boom."  
"Boom?" Spike's eyebrow began to twitch. He wasn't liking the sound of things.  
"Big boom." A vial was pushed in front of his face as he searched for another cigarette. "Vaccine. Drink and then pass it on to Faye." She waved a small goodbye and raced back towards the subway she had walked off of.  
"Hey! Wait! How do I pass it on?"

* * *

That was it. She had had enough of the isolation. Spike wasn't coming and she had to find a way out before she would become Vicious' sex puppet. She began to throw things around, hoping to create a weappon from something. And then it hit her: the glass shards. Faye raced to the bathroom and quietly closed the door, turning on the shower for its full effect. She then proceeded to pound the tub with all her might. Within moments, she could hear the door slam open. She gripped sharp mirror in her hands.  
"Can you come help me please? I've seem to have fallen and can't get up." Footsteps. Faye was becoming to anxious for her own good. The door was thrown open, steam clouding up the man's figure. Faye waited for the mist to disperse before lashing out like the animal whom was caged and ready to flee. But she paused in mid step as the mossy hair and the lanky figure focused in front of her.  
"What the hell are you doing here Spike?!"  
  
Emptiness can make us see the wildest things. People have reported seeing the messiah before death because they need something to go home to. Widows claim to see their lost spouses walk among their halls, searching for the love they cherished so deeply. Others seem to see alien saucers in hopes of explaining great mysteries during summers of lounging and getting fat off pop and hamburgers. Faye's desloation was causing her to see the one thing she was praying to see. Her was her messiah; her rescuer. He was her lost love; forever fighting his past in order to regain something a little bit more satisfying. He was her U.F.O ; something she wanted to believe in until it hurt so she wouldn't seem so crazy for loving him in the first place. He was her Spike. The benevolent being that had somehow picked up the scattered remains of the shrew and glued her back together, piece by bitchy piece. And yet she had almost thought of him as helpless and reckless. Not giving a damn before her being. Yeah, lonliness can do that to a person. 


	21. Furthur On Up The Road

Sorry this has taken so long. See, I write to excape this hellhole I call reality. And well, reality has finally caught up with me. But I hope you enjoy it regardless!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or any of the songs I use for titles.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays: Furthur On Up The Road  
  
Surprise was Faye's first reaction. Who wouldn't be surprised? She had been anticipating a Syndicate member to come charging into the bathroom, unsupervised, of course. But she hadn't bargained for Spike to come running in like a mad man, guns blazing, to her rescue. Not that she wasn't complaining. In fact, she regretted ever doubting her compatriot.  
"What are you doing here?!" Her question came out in a venomous whisper that deserved a glare from Spike.  
"What do you think? I'm saving your ass before it gets us killed." It made sense enough, but what did he mean that her ass would get them killed? She hadn't even flaunted her body yet and here was saying her assets (no pun intended) was going to snuff them out like a bad cigarette. Spike wrapped his hand around her own and pulled her to the door, which had been completely destroyed by what Faye guesses to be his foot. Spike always had a way of breaking and entering, emphasizing mostly on the breaking rather than the entering part. He glanced down both ways of the hallway before concluding that the opposite side from which he bust in from would be most sufficient. "Here, I brought you a little gift." In one swift motion, Spike delivered Faye's weapon of choice - her Glock .30. Jewelry, money, and exotic furs all seemed like petty birthday gifts for a toddler next to her prized gun. Her Glock was perhaps the best gift she had ever received, next to the videotape, of course.

* * *

On the Bebop  
  
"Go fish!" Edward slammed down her last card in defiance. Serenity sighed. She wished she could use her psychic powers at that moment for the hacker had won three times in a row. She even wondered if Ed had the mental capacity to cheat. A small fly buzzed pass the amber eyed genius, sending her into a frenzy to catch the blasted insect in her mouth. Another sigh. Perhaps Serenity could have been mistaken. Her silver irises followed Jet's pacing movements. He had been in a worried state ever since Spike took off with little more than a simple statement and a small wave. Serenity shuffled the deck of cards.  
"Don't worry, Jet. They'll come back. Trust me." Jet rubbed his bald head, focusing on the gauze bandage.  
"I suppose you're right. I mean, Spike knows how to handle himself. As does Faye. And I guess I have no reason to worry considering Spike killed Vicious a few weeks ago." He sat back on the couch, comforted by that one fact alone. Serenity gulped. She had completely forgotten that Jet was out cold when Vicious made his reappearance and didn't even see his assailents.  
"Um...Jet. Vicious is alive and doing quite well actually." The brute man chuckled and lit a cigarette.  
"Yeah right. How on Earth could that man survive what Spike delivered? You'd have to be one hell...of a...healer. Dammit Serenity!!" The tiny girl winced at the volume change and quickly retreated behind Ed as he stood up.  
"Where is Jet-person going?"  
"To bring back Spike and Faye." His tone was gruff and his stature was intemidating. But not enough to fool the monsterous Vicious. Both Serenity and Ed gawked at each other before diving at the broad man's feet.  
  
"Forget it Jet! It's suicide!" Serenity wasn't enough force to keep the man still, and he dragged her across the metal floor recklessly.  
"Jet-person has to stay here because Ren-Rem said so! Jet-persoooon!" Ed was pulling at Jet's waist, trying just as desperately to keep him on the Bebop as Serenity was.  
"It's not your fight, Jet!" Serenity and Ed gave one more tug before Serenity's statement was able to sink in. Jet stopped and lowered his head before bestowing a hard punch to the wall beside him.  
"Dammit..." Serenity and Edward breathed heavily and then proceeded to collapse on the cool ground.

* * *

Faye rested against a nearby wall, trying to catch her breath. Along their the devious departure, they had taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up stranded on the top floor. They couldn't retreat downstairs, for there were men already piling into the first three floors and slowly making their way to the top. And they couldn't go to the roof for they would really be trapped. Not that they weren't already. Faye exhaled through her nicotine lined lungs, craving a good amount of air.  
"This is all your fault." Spike twirled around, almost knocking the huntress off her high heeled feet.  
"My fault?! If I remember correctly, YOU were the one who went with Vicious!" Faye rested a manicured hand on her hip.  
"Like I had so many choices. If you had never made an enemy of the man, then all this could've been avoided...just. like. that." She snapped after every word to burn her point in Spike's mind.  
"I should've left you to Vicious. At least then, I wouldn't have to listen to your endless nagging." The comment was harsh. Harsher than Faye could handle and it sent her to her boiling point once again.  
"Yeah. Well fine then. I'll find my own way out of here. And I WON'T be coming to find you afterwards." Spike stood from his crouching position on the floor.  
"Don't kid. My heart is too sensitive for more lies. I mean, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Do you really mean it?" The sarcasim dripping from his little cherade was enough to throw any girl off the edge. And Faye wasn't any different. With a feminine wave of her hand, Faye was off towards the roof of the building.  
"Au revoir, lunkhead!" Spike opened his mouth to protest, only to be silenced by a rain of rubble falling towards him after a deafening explosion.

* * *

On The Bebop  
  
"I can't believe I let you talk me outta going after them." Both of Jet's arms were crossed over his muscular chest. Serenity was focused on the winning hand of cards in her petite palms, barely taking notice of Jet's voice.  
"Would you be quiet already? For once I may be able to -"  
"Go Fish!!" Serenity let the cards drop aimlessly from her hands and felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. Jet hovered over her shoulder, glancing at each individual card.  
"How did she do that? I swear, you had a winning hand..." It finally hit Jet. He yanked the mastermind over to his lap and struggled with the lanky limbs of the hacker until her pulled out a set of cards in her abundant mane of hair. Serenity smacked the table with her fist, sending cards flying into the air.  
"I knew it!!"

* * *

Smoke cleared around Spike as he got up from the soot covered bricks and stone. The penthouse was now the roof. Frantically, Spike scanned the mountains of building material in search of Faye. Of all the times for her to walk away from an arguement, it had to be now. Faye was no where to be seen and this worried Spike to death. It was partially his fault for committing to the arguement and partially his fault for just letting her walk away. And he could possible blame himself for causing her to leave. Oh hell, he'd blame himself entirely and openly as long as he found her alive and well.  
"Ugh... What the hell happened?" The strained voice definetly belonged to Faye and Spike rushed towards the sound of murmurs of Faye Valentine. He suddenly became aware of just how critical their situation was. Before him, was a huge piece of concrete that had seperated from the building and had managed to balance itself on the edge of the shattered structure.  
"Faye! Don't move!" Faye sat up from the hard surface and held her head. The blast had taken more out of her than she thought possible. She stood, unaware of the tension the building had caused.  
"Wha? Why would you say something like th-" The fragment of ruined architecture swayed underneath her feet and she grabbed for air to keep her steady. The large portion of concrete was furthur up in height then Spike could wield. He may have been tall but not tall enough to reach Faye without tipping the bit of building over the edge.  
"Faye! You're gonna have to jump!"  
"What?!"  
"I said-"  
"I heard you lunkhead! But what makes you think i'm jumping. In case you haven't noticed, i'm pretty high up!" Spike didn't even care what she was saying. He was more focused on the fact that Vicious had made his way up behind her, katana unsheathed.  
"Faye, jump!!" He was too late. Vicious had already draped his arms around her waist and was holding the mighty blade to her throat. "Let her go Vicious! This is between me and you! Leave her out of it!" Faye balled up her fists.  
"It involves me when there's a damn sword to my throat! Argh! You and your damn ego!!" Spike took one step forward, ready to jump a hundred feet in the air if necessary, just to shut the temptress up.  
"Would you zip it for once?! You talk too damn much!!" He pointed his finger at her to furthur accent his point. Faye's mouth was officially agape.  
"I talk too much?!" She stomped her foot in agrivation, releasing the concrete slab of its balancing battle. She quickly lamented her choice to slam her foot down in anger. She held one hand out, pleading with Spike to help out. "Spike.....SPIKE!!!"  
Spike rushed forward at a speed he didn't think he was capable of. With one long stride that seemed to last a lifetime, Spike reached over the side of the building, praying that flesh would meet flesh and that he wouldn't lose his Lady Luck for good. Nothing...

You don't realize what you have until it's taken away. You can't see certain things until it's too late. But what if you could go back and change all that? Bring back a loved one. Change the past. Tell someone you love them. For you don't know quite for sure what you love until it's what you miss. Mere days turn into agonizing months without them and you just can't seem to cope. In all this action, Spike seemed to realize all this as he watched Faye fall from the Syndicate building. He couldn't see the trust, the loyalty, the friendship, the hurt he had caused her up until now. But most of all, he was going to miss the love she was willing to give him; the hope that he would live a satisfying life with or without her. He never thought, in a million years that he would lose this dream; that he would ever lose Faye.

A/N: I was trying to incorporate the last scene with Spike and Andy. Did it work?


	22. Falling For The First Time

Aw man I am so friggin behind in my stories. But here's another chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or the Barenaked Ladies song 'Falling For The First Time'.  
  
A Life Full Of Saturdays : Falling For The First Time  
  
She was gone. There would be no more late night strip poker games with the infamous Romany. No more arguements. No more teasing. No more secure feelings that no matter where Spike went, Faye Valentine would be close behind, armed with a gun and a watchful eye. And she had lost her life because he had been too imprudent and had let Faye walk right into his problems. Spike hovered over the edge, missing everything about the vixen that he claimed he once hated. The attitude for one thing. Faye's attitude kept him on his toes.  
Perhaps Spike was too wrapped up in his remorse to hear the heated breaths of a woman who nearly lost her life. Or maybe it was the shock that kept him from noticing the scantily clad body slide over the edge and lay on her back, throwing a limp arm over face to shield her jade eyes. Whatever it was the kept Spike looking over the brim of the building would soon end as the shaken form limped over to where he sat and glanced over the concrete rim to see just what the cowboy was gawking at.  
"That sure is a long way to the ground." Spike hastily turned around to meet the pair of sparkling emerald eyes he was beginning to fall for.  
"Faye!!" He wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders and hugged her to his chest. She was a bit bruised and a few scraped graced her skin, but she was alive. Tired, but alive. Faye was too grateful to be alive to even care that the lunkhead was embracing her so openly. He pulled off his suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders.  
"What about Vicious?" Spike shook his head. He could only hope the bastard died on impact. It would truly be a miracle if he survived a fifty story fall.  
"How'd you dodge the fall?" Faye grinned, obviously proud of her escape from death.  
"Don't really know. I fell and landed on one of the balconies and rolled over to avoid getting pounded by Vicious and the chunck of cement. It knocked off a good portion so I had to climb up the gargoyle statues to make it back up here. Did you know those things are more of a pink than the traditional grey you see on t.v.?" Spike smirked and draped an arm lazily over her shoulder.  
"Come on Faye. Let's go home." Faye had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Home. The Bebop. She had placed herself in these people's lives and before she knew it, she had wished them to be her family. She no longer had the berating mother and a father who couldn't stand up for himself, but a man who was constantly worried about her and looking out for her whether he wanted to admit it. She no longer had a Welsh Corgi to keep her company on lonely nights, but a redheaded hacker that could make Faye crack a smile even when she didn't think she could. She no longer had the idiot best friend who would tease her senses until she became weary with delirium. But she had gained another kind of friend. Someone who would risk his life for her, no matter how many time he told her how much of a pain she was. Yet she still found herself dizzy with feelings for him. She would deny it no longer. The last thing she had seen before making impact with the balcony was Spike's face, etched with fear. No, she would tell him before the night was through.  
  
Jet glanced up from his perch on the back of the sofa. Before him sat two girls, smiling gleefully. Most men would find this incredibly exciting, surrounded by the opposite sex in admiration. But one girl was barely reaching her teens and the other was barely out of her toddler days. He sighed. He would have to remember to have a little talk with Spike about the importance of a babysitter.  
"Go fish!!" Ed quickly scrambled up the cheese crackers they were using as poker chips. Yes, Jet was teaching them the art of gambling. He wasn't proud of that fact, but it was the only thing he could use to keep them quiet. Since his attempt at leaving earlier, the two girls had made it their goal in life to keep all eyes on him at all time.  
"Objection!! Jet, I think she's cheating again!!" Jet rubbed his bald head and tried his best to drown out the high pitched squeals. He was much obliged to his compatriot as Spike stepped through the small door with a battered Faye at his side.  
"Good grief! What happened?!" Faye raised her head and gave the man a small pat on the shoulder.  
"I fell. Nothing too big. The balcony was only a few feet down. No biggie." Spike cleared the scattered crackers off the couch so Faye could sit down. Jet quickly fetched the medical kit and began searching for internal wounds with a special instrument.  
"You're lucky Faye. You came out of this with only bumps and bruises." She sneered at Spike.  
"I told you I was fine." The bounty said nothing, but retreated to the control room instead. However, when Faye shifted to follow him, she was gently pushed back down by Jet's mechanical hand.  
"Let me finish."  
  
Spike took a long drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke envelop his mind and lungs before releasing it completely. He had needed to get away from everyone. He didn't want any of the crew to see his concern for the woman he used to call shrew. But he had been afflicted. He had never been so scared for one person's life before. All he could see was placing a rose over her grave and begging for forgiveness. Vicious was his enemy, not hers. And yet, she could've died because of it.  
"Hey cowboy. You missed the poker game between Ed, Serenity, and Jet." Spike knew someone had walked in, but didn't really feel like ackowledging their presence quite yet. But he hadn't expected the person to be Faye.  
"I'll live." There was a short, akward silence between the duo before Spike broke the stillness. "So who won?" His voice caught Faye off guard. But she recuperated and smirked, lighting her own cigarette and walking up next to Spike.  
"Ed. But both Serenity and Jet think she's cheating." The iron curtain was placed over them again and Faye thought that it was time to let the cat out of the bag. "Thanks for coming after me like you did. To be honest, I was about to give up on you rescuing me." Quiet. Faye took a deep gulp and proceeded. " Look Spike, there's another reason I came here tonight. How do I put this? Okay...when I was a teenager, my best friend told me that home is where the heart is. Even without my memory, that lived inside of me. So I searched for a place I could call home. It wasn't Earth, because no matter what, it brought me back to the Bebop. It....brought me back to you. You're my home, Spike. You're where my heart is. Which is why I threatened to shoot you when you left. You were taking everything from me - my home and my heart. It was unfair, I guess." Spike's face didn't even falter. The cigarette still rested on his lips. Faye lowered her head, her violet bangs shading the brimming tears. She had said all she needed to say. All that there was to do now, was wait. Wait for a negative response or wait for a warm embrace. Either way, she needed an answer...soon. "Well, now that that's out of the way, i'm going to bed." She glanced down the hall to see a pale arm and a mechanical arm pull a dazed Ed around the corner. Damn eavesdroppers...  
  
"But Ed wanted to see the lovey dovey love!!" Serenity clasped a hand over the hackers mouth and prayed Faye hadn't seen any of them. Jet crossed his arms over his chest. He had thought it a bad idea to spy on them to begin with, but the temptation and Serenity's coaxing was too much to bear. Light footsteps were heard in the hallway and all three crew members arched the necks around the corner in time to see Spike extinguish his nicotine stick underneath his foot and follow the same path Faye had taken.  
"Where do you think he's going?" Serenity and Ed glanced at each other and then to Jet. He knew exactly where the lunkhead was going. But the girls were too young to figure it out.  
"Same place you two are going - to bed." To be honest, he was worn out from the poker/go fish game and needed his own rest. That was the last time he would teach two kids how to gamble.  
  
Faye propped the back of her head on her arms, gazing up at the barren ceiling. She felt so stupid saying all those things, but it had to be said. One more day of seeing his face and not being able to tell him what was going on inside her and she would burst. She turned over at the sound of footsteps pausing by her door. She covered up quickly and pretended to be alseep as the door of her room slid open.  
"You're not asleep Faye. Turn over." Yeah right. Like she was going to face Spike after their little confrontation. There was a long sigh and a shift of weight on her bed. "Fine. Then just listen. You had me terrified when you fell off the building. I thought you were dead and I couldn't bear it. And then you came up behind me, and I was never more grateful or happy for you being there. I don't know what you want from me Faye. This whole thing has been weird from the beginning." Faye pulled the blanket tighter around her body.  
"I want my home back. I want the promise it will never leave." She closed her eyes and waited for a response.  
"Vicious is dead." Faye rolled her jade irises, thankful that she was concealed by the blanket.  
"That's not what I meant. Whether he's alive or dead, it doesn't matter. I want the promise that you'll never leave again." She could feel Spike's shoulders sag and wondered if maybe her request was a bit too much.  
  
"I promise. Now, aren't you going to ask me what I want?" Faye finally sat up and leaned against the metal wall.  
"Go ahead. It's a free universe." Spike turned and gave his famous half smirk.  
"I think i'll wait another time." 


End file.
